Three Free Agent Bats the Royals Should Target

Still, the Royals need to get better offensively and improve the lineup around their top-four core of Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Salvador Perez. Despite the presence of those four run producers, Kansas City ranked 26th in runs scored a season ago.

With the turn of the new year, there are still plenty of position player free agents available for the upcoming season.

In this post, we will talk about one high-priced, one medium-priced, and one low-priced option that could make sense for the Royals in the upcoming season. We utilized Spotrac for available batter free agents as well as the “market value” referenced in this piece.

Now, let’s take a look at three free agents who could be on the Royals’ radar this winter.

Bo Bichette, 2B

Spotrac expects the former Blue Jays star to command a pretty penny this offseason, as illustrated by his projected market value of $23.3 million. However, the longer Bichette stays unsigned, the higher the likelihood a smaller-market team like Kansas City could come in and swoop him up.

There’s no question that the 27-year-old shortstop would make sense at the keystone in Kansas City.

He has a career .294 average, 122 wRC+, and 20 fWAR, and is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him hit 18 home runs, post a 134 wRC+, and accumulate a 3.8 fWAR in 139 games with the Blue Jays.

The Royals struggled at the second base position a year ago, as Jonathan India and Michael Massey combined for a -0.7 fWAR mark.

While Bichette offensively would make a significant impact on the Royals’ lineup, he would also help boost an infield that could be one of the best in the American League.

On the left side, Garcia and Witt made the All-Star game a season ago. At first, Pasquantino hit 32 home runs and collected 113 RBI, both of which led the team. Adding Bichette into the mix would give them a 20+ HR threat at second base who could also be a 3.5-4.0 fWAR player annually.

Kansas City could take advantage of a cool market on Bichette, much like the Twins did with Carlos Correa in 2022.

The Royals could offer a long-term deal with a majority of the money backloaded or possibly deferred (they deferred money in Perez’s latest deal). They could also have opt-outs after year one or two, which could give him an incentive to perform to secure a bigger payday in 2027 or 2028.

Regardless, the “mega deal” may not come for Bichette this year, which may force him to look for a situation that could boost his stock the most. Playing next to a superstar like Witt could do that.

For this move to happen, Kansas City would need to first unload some cash from its books. India ($8 million), John Schreiber (estimated $3.8 million), Kris Bubic (estimated $6 million), and Bailey Falter (estimated $3.3 million) are players who likely would need to be traded away (money included) in order to clear the payroll space needed to absorb a deal of Bichette’s caliber.

Harrison Bader, OF

Kyle Isbel was nominated for a Gold Glove this past season. Unfortunately, he hasn’t offered much with his bat in his tenure with the Royals.

The 28-year-old center fielder has a career 78 wRC+ in 496 games at the MLB level. His 4.7 career fWAR is mostly boosted by his 26 defensive runs above average mark, according to Fangraphs.

For the Royals to take the next step as a playoff team, they need someone in center field who can not just handle the defensive demands of Kauffman Stadium, but also provide SOMETHING on the hitting end.

Bader could be that solution, and while there was some early interest in him, his market has cooled down since the Winter Meetings.

In 146 games between the Twins and Phillies last year, the 31-year-old outfielder hit 17 home runs, posted a 122 wRC+, and accumulated a 3.2 fWAR.

All three marks were career-highs. However, there seems to be some caution with teams, especially since his .295 xwOBA was 51 points lower than his actual wOBA in 2025 (.346). It’s plausible that Bader could be a serious regression candidate in 2026.

At the same time, Bader’s career wRC+ is 96, which would be more than enough for the Royals in the center field position. Bader also produced a +2 FRV and +3 OAA in center field last year. That isn’t as good as Isbel’s elite marks (+10 FRV; +12 OAA), but it’s serviceable enough, especially considering the upgrade in hitting.

There were a lot of rumors that Bader was seeking a three-year deal, which seemed to be out of the Royals’ comfort zone.

However, if Bader is settling for a two-year deal or a one-year deal with an option (perhaps a mutual option), then Kansas City may be more inclined to give Bader a contract. With the addition of Bader, Isbel can be a more regular player, which may be a better fit for his overall profile.

Austin Hays, OF

Hays remains unsigned even though he had a nice bounce-back season with the Reds in 2025.

After a disappointing 85-game campaign with the Orioles and Phillies in 2024 (97 wRC+; 0.2 fWAR), Hays found his groove in Cincinnati last year. In 416 plate appearances, he hit .266 with 15 home runs, a 105 wRC+, and 1.2 fWAR.

The 30-year-old didn’t provide much defensively a year ago, as illustrated by his +1 OAA and 0 FRV. However, he can play both corner outfield positions, and he was a masher against left-handed pitchers.

He hit .319 with a 155 wRC+ against lefties a season ago. That was much better than his .249 average and 88 wRC+ against righties.

With Collins likely in left field and Jac Caglianone in right field, the Royals do not need an “everyday” outfielder right now. They need someone who can rotate between both corners to give Caglianone or Collins a spell.

Hays would fit that role perfectly, especially considering his lefty-mashing tendencies. Furthermore, he would not cost the Royals much either, whether in terms of AAV (his current market value is around $5.13 million, according to Spotrac) or years (he is likely to get only a one-year deal).

If the Royals can’t make that big trade for Boston’s Jarren Duran or St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan, Hays may be the cheaper consolation prize who can hold things down in the Kansas City outfield as a semi-regular until the Trade Deadline, at the very least.