ORLANDO – As the Royals continue to search for ways to elevate their offense for 2026, the conversation usually takes a turn toward their pitching. The Royals have a lot of rotation depth and could use it to land a bat in a trade this offseason. That’s a logical connection, and one the club has continued to discuss as this week’s Winter Meetings kick off in Orlando.
But who would the Royals really be willing to part with, and does it actually include their ace, lefty Cole Ragans?
That’s where the connection is a little harder to see.
“It would be really difficult for us to trade Cole,” general manager J.J. Picollo said Monday. “When Cole is right, he’s as good as anybody in the game. It’s rare that you get an opportunity to have somebody like that, and we have him for three more years. It’s fun to talk about, but the reality is, if we didn’t have Cole Ragans in our rotation, we’d feel like we’re missing something really big. When you think about our four pillars, it starts with pitching.
“... We’re in a really good spot [with depth], so if the right trade comes along, and it costs us a starting pitcher, we have to look at it. It’s just not going to be Cole.”
Ragans’ name has floated in trade rumblings recently, linked especially with the Red Sox because of Boston’s surplus of outfielders, its interest in adding pitching and Kansas City’s interest in Jarren Duran dating back to the Trade Deadline.
The Royals rarely say a player is off limits, but they want to win now, making it hard for them to part with an ace who finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2024. Plus, Ragans is coming off an injury-riddled 2025 season, which likely brings down his value right now. The 27-year-old is under club control for three more seasons, including two more on the deal he signed last spring and another arbitration-eligible season.
“We have to ask ourselves: Is this his max value right now?” Picollo said. “Probably not. If Cole pitches like he did in ‘24, who knows what his value is going to be. We just think right now, three years of control on a really good starting pitcher, it would have to be something crazy, something that’s like, ‘How can we pass this up?’”
So there could come a time in the future when the Royals ramp up trade discussions, but it’s hard to envision that being this year. Of the Royals’ rotation arms, Kris Bubic remains the likeliest trade candidate because he only has one more season of control and dealing him could free up money to pursue other moves. Kansas City has discussed several trade ideas involving Bubic with other teams.
Teams ask a lot about Noah Cameron, who is coming off a stellar rookie campaign, and there’s some interest in young pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek, too.
The Royals want to use that depth to acquire a bat, but so far, there’s not a ton of movement. The free agent market has picked up, however, as teams meet with agents in person this week. The Royals have zeroed their interest on outfielders, preferably a right-hander who could also play center field, but the handedness is not a necessity.
Picollo said there’s “definite” interest in a reunion with Mike Yastrzemski and Adam Frazier after both veterans provided Kansas City with a spark in the second half of 2025. Yastrzemski, a left-hander, can play all three outfield positions, while Frazier, also a lefty, can play infield and outfield.
Other free agents the Royals have considered include Harrison Bader, Austin Hays, Adolis García, Lane Thomas and JJ Bleday.
None of those names fit the “impact bat” the Royals need in their outfield, but if they can add on-base ability to the bottom of the lineup, the Royals can let their top infielders -- Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez -- do the bulk of the run production. That leaves room for Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen to make an impact.
“That’s been a lot of our debate,” Picollo said. “Are we worried too much about getting impactful bats? If we can get it, great. We’d do it. But if we don’t get it – if they can play defense, if they can get on base, we’ll probably be fine. We’d love to get it. I don’t want to understate the meaning of an impactful bat. But the supply and demand is not great right now. The supply is low and the demand is high.”
The other market they’re keeping an eye on is the reliever market. A lefty who can dominate left-handed batters would fit well in the back of their ‘pen, Picollo said, but they don’t view that item as big of a priority as their outfield search.
“From a financial standpoint, we’ve got to put our resources in the outfield,” Picollo said. “If we can manage that in an effective way, then we can potentially go and try to get a reliever, whether it be a trade or free agency, but it’s secondary for sure.”