Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 3.7 fWAR, 3.55 FIP

Sure, the Royals could use more pitching depth, but another “Ace” is a luxury the Royals won’t plan on spending up for. Burnes is the best pitcher available on the market right now but with the top three of the rotation already settled, Kansas City figures more likely to sign depth pieces rather than a true impact arm.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 3.5 fWAR, 134 wRC+

There have been zero links between the Royals and Hernandez. He’s reportedly seeking a three-year deal, something he missed out on last offseason before his stellar 2024 campaign. Hernandez is a great fit, offering a middle-of-the-order outfield addition, but doesn’t figure to be in the cards for the Royals.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 3.2 fWAR, 3.48 FIP

Most of what can be said for Corbin Burnes can be said here for Flaherty as well. He’s not quite the pitcher Burnes is, but his one-year prove-it deal with Detroit last season should pay off in a big way once he finally signs with a team. With high cost, it’s pretty unlikely that Flaherty would end up in Kansas City.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 3.3 fWAR, 129 wRC+

Santander is coming off a season in which he cranked over 40 home runs. He’s more of a DH type in Kauffman, however, and the Royals aren’t likely to spend up on a hitter with negative defensive value. With an aging Salvador Perez and Jac Caglianone on the way, it doesn’t make sense for the Royals to bring in a true full-time DH.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 2.6 fWAR, 101 wRC+

Kim was once a great fit for Kansas City but there have been no rumors linking the two camps. Kim can play three infield positions extremely well, offering positive value at all three. That versatility is a huge boost to his value. With Jonathan India already in town as the leadoff hitter, it drops Kim’s fit in Kansas City. There’s not much power to speak of and he figures to miss the first two months of the season due to injury.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 4.3 fWAR, 139 wRC+

Profar is holding out for a three-year deal which limits his fit with Kansas City. There’s not a ton of track record to rely on, but Profar was outstanding in 2024 with San Diego. There’s enough power that Profar can impact further down the lineup and he gives the infield/outfield versatility that the Royals have come to value. There have been no rumors linking the two sides. In fact, there haven’t been many rumors linking Profar to anyone outside of a reunion with San Diego.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 2.1 fWAR, 122 wRC+

There’s not much reason for the Royals to have an interest in Alonso. His market figures are far above what Kansas City is willing to spend. Barring a serious turn that sees Alonso willing to settle for a one-year contract, there’s not much room for another first baseman or designated hitter. Alonso is an impact hitter but Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez, and Jac Caglianone limit the long-term room for a hitter like Alonso.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 1.7 fWAR, 104 wRC+

With Jonathan India already added and Michael Massey still in Kansas City, there’s no additional room for a second baseman in Kansas City. Even if one of Massey or India moves to left field, the market for Torres won’t make him worth adding to the Royals’ roster. The market value and offensive production don’t match enough to make a signing worth it, either.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 1.6 fWAR, 2.92 FIP

The Royals reportedly had some interest in Scott at last year’s deadline. Whether that matters this offseason remains to be seen — the team was interested in just about any notable reliever last summer. Scott is a solid lefty option with heat out of the bullpen. He’d massively upgrade the bullpen alongside Lucas Erceg, but there’s still a strong chance that Hunter Harvey can bounce back and add value as well. Scott is a fun option but the Royals likely pursue more depth options rather than a big name.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 1.5 fWAR, 139 wRC+

The Red Sox have shown interest in Grichuk. He’s coming off a stellar season with Arizona that saw his hard-hit rate and power blossom nicely. The Royals could use that boost from the outfield and Grichuk isn’t a poor defender either. His age will limit the overall cost, but could also be a sign of decline fast arriving. Grichuk is a fantastic option, allowing the Royals to add for 2025 without sacrificing much flexibility for the future.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 0.8 fWAR, 3.48 FIP

Leclerc became a free agent in October and figures to be a solid bounce-back option for an MLB bullpen. He struck out more than 30% of opposing hitters in 2024, averaging 95 mph with his fastball. He’s a veteran presence coming off a solid year with good stuff. The Royals are still interested in rounding out their pitching staff, making Leclerc a name to monitor. Lowering the fit some, Leclerc doesn’t fit the long-relief / swing-starter type that the Royals have reportedly been looking for.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 0.3 fWAR, 92 wRC+

T-Mobile Park in Seattle is the worst park in all of baseball for offense. Despite that, the 30-year-old Polanco still hit for a 92 wRC+ last season. His production certainly looks on the decline but there’s still power to speak of. Polanco was long a member of the Minnesota Twins, clubbing a career-high 33 home runs back in 2021. There’s experience playing all three infield positions, and Polanco could fill a need at third base for Kansas City in 2025.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 1.0 fWAR, 4.56 FIP

Quintana enters his age-36 season in 2025 but enters off a season that saw him pitch 170 innings. He’s more of a depth option these days than a true rotation piece, but that’s exactly what the Royals are looking for. The contract should be manageable. He won’t strike out many hitters, but Quintana is a crafty veteran who may still have some gas left in the tank.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 0.5 fWAR, 3.31 wRC+

Means underwent Tommy John Surgery last June. It’s his second Tommy John Surgery in just the last three years, making his return somewhat questionable. He will miss the beginning of 2024 at least, and it’s still to be seen what form he will return to once he’s able to at all. Means is a solid upside add, but not a target that fits for what the Royals are in search of.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 0.3 fWAR, 117 wRC+

Moncada missed most of 2024 with an injury. Now onto the open market, there’s still some intrigue left. Most of it may just be on name alone. Moncada was once one of the best prospects in baseball but has yet to truly put it all together with the White Sox. He fits a position of need for the Royals, but there are too many question marks to make him a truly great fit for Kansas City.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: High

2024 Stats: 0.7 fWAR, 3.85 FIP

Turnbull enters free agency off a solid showing last season with Philadelphia. He saw a ten percent boost in strikeout rate over the year prior and pitched to a 3.85 FIP over 54.1 IP. In 2019, Turnbull made 30 starts for the Tigers but has otherwise been unable to piece together a full season in the Major Leagues. There have been some links between the Royals and Turnbull, making him a notable name with some smoke. He sports a five-pitch mix, featuring a 92-93mph fastball (sinker and four-seamer) alongside a slider, curveball, and changeup.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 0.3 fWAR, 3.95 FIP

Sewald is a depth option, similar to what Chris Stratton looked like for the Royals last offseason. He commands the ball well but he’s also on the downside of his MLB career. There’s experience with high-leverage innings from his time with Seattle, but Sewald offers more downside than a handful of other bullpen options still available on the free-agent market.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 1.7 fWAR, 95 wRC+

There’s familiarity with the organization after DeJong finished the year with the Royals in 2024. He wasn’t a bad platoon option with Garcia for a time, but didn’t play much down the final stretch and his best days are definitely behind him. DeJong isn’t the worst option to lengthen the lineup with, but there haven’t been any rumors of talks between KC and DeJong.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 1.3 fWAR, 118 wRC+

Winker has been in four organizations across the last three seasons. He’s bounced around after starting his career strongly with five seasons in Cincinnati. The production has dipped heavily following a standout 2021 season and now Winker looks more like a DH on the wrong side of the age bell-curve than he does an impact outfielder. The Royals can do better, both offensively and defensively.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: High

2024 Stats: 0.7 fWAR, 4.89 FIP

There’s some smoke around a reunion with Lorenzen, and the notion wouldn’t surprise anyone. He fits the swing-starter role that the Royals are in the market for. With that said, the peripheral metrics don’t see Lorenzen as a greatly effective arm last season. His 4.89 FIP is the worst of any arm on this list. There’s a familiarity there that matters, and perhaps Lorenzen can get back on track with stronger results in 2025.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 1.3 fWAR, 85 wRC+

Without Joey Wiemer, Bader would be a better fit in Kansas City. He profiles as a depth outfielder who can play great outfield defense at all three spots. There’s not much Bader gives that Kyle Isbel can’t. For that reason, there’s little reason to consider Bader for Kansas City if Wiemer is to factor in at all.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 0.3 fWAR, 3.74 FIP

Ferguson moved from the Yankees to the Astros at last year’s trade deadline. His command was spotty at times, but a healthy 26% strikeout rate gives him value. He’s still just 28 years old, but a dip in fastball velocity last season is at least a little concerning. He’s a solid upside option with three fastballs, a slider, and a curveball. There haven’t been any rumors about Ferguson to the Royals, but he’s a solid fit.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 0.6 fWAR, 83 wRC+

Verdugo reminds me heavily of Andrew Benintendi from before he signed his long-term contract with the White Sox. The power is still a dream, and Verdugo fits better as a leadoff hitter than an impact power bat. The Royals already added their leadoff hitter in Jonathan India, and Verdugo’s market ask is going to far exceed his actual value. No thanks.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 0.3 fWAR, 96 wRC+

Rosario was a solid upside prospect for a time but has since bounced around and struggled to truly catch on anywhere. He was fine last season but didn’t wow anyone either. The Royals could do worse than Rosario on a minor-league contract, but he’s likely to seek another chance in the big leagues. The Royals need impact power, not more reclamation contact-first projects.

Fit for the Royals: High

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: High

2024 Stats: 1.1 fWAR, 3.89 FIP

Stripling was solid in 2024 and there have been rumors of a Stripling addition for the Royals. Were he not 35 years old, he’d be much higher on this list as well. With age, the strikeout rate has dissipated entirely for Stripling. He’s a pitch-to-contact type of hitter. That profile could work well in Kansas City, but there’s a better upside still to be had on the market for a similar cost.

Fit for the Royals: Low

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: -0.2 fWAR, 76 wRC+

The power looks zapped, the contact is as bad as ever, and the only positive defensive value to speak of comes at first base. No thanks. There’s not enough value and no fit to speak of for Gallo and the Royals.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 0.1 fWAR, 4.01 FIP

Kahnle has aged well in the back half of his career. It’s come with powerhouse organizations, the Yankees and the Dodgers. There was a dip in the strikeout rate last season, but Kahnle held opposing hitters to just a .190 average against. The last time that mark finished above .200 was back in 2018. There’s plenty of intrigue with Kahnle, but the fastball velocity dipping just another one or two mph could spell disaster. He averaged 94.2 mph with it last season, the lowest mark of his career. The track record is great, but there are too many warning signs that a heavy decline is fast approaching.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Med

2024 Stats: 0.5 fWAR, 5.32 FIP

There’s familiarity between Quantrill and Brian Sweeney. The two spent time together in Cleveland. Despite that, Quantrill doesn’t seem like a fantastic addition. There’s a fit, both due to that history with Sweeney and the team’s need for pitching depth. However, Quantrill doesn’t strike out opposing hitters and walks far too many as well. His 6.3% K-BB% last season was abysmal, to say the least. Quantrill belongs in the minor leagues if he gets a deal at all.

Fit for the Royals: Med

Likelihood to sign with the Royals: Low

2024 Stats: 0.9 fWAR, 3.69 FIP

Junis was drafted by Kansas City before ultimately ending up in San Francisco. His time with the Royals always seemed underrated. The Giants got the best out of Junis in his previous three seasons by the Bay. With that said, Junis saw a notable dip in strikeout rate last season and factors in more as a bullpen depth piece than anything else. The Royals could do worse, but they could do much better as well.