Royals general manager J.J. Picollo didn’t shy away from his assessment of their 2026 season.
“I think it goes without being said, it’s kind of disappointing sitting here today without being in the playoffs as we expected,” Picollo said in Wednesday’s end-of-season press conference at Kauffman Stadium. “It was something we certainly felt was attainable coming into our season.”
The Royals finished with a 69-93 record -- the club’s first losing season since a 106-loss 2023 -- landed at the bottom of the AL Central and missed the postseason for the second straight year.
“We’ve got to figure out how to get this current roster playing to its abilities and put ourselves in a better position in 2027,” Picollo said. “But it’s not just about ‘27, it’s about long-term success.”
The Royals started with Tuesday’s news that hitting coach Alec Zumwalt will be reassigned within the organization. He will remain in his senior director of hitting performance role, however.
Zumwalt, 45, first joined the Royals’ organization in 2013 as a scout, eventually being promoted to the club’s senior director of hitting performance. Zumwalt kept that title while transitioning to the dugout when he was named Major League hitting coach in 2022 to replace Terry Bradshaw.
“With Alec, this was something that was anticipated the day he was brought to the Major Leagues,” Picollo said. “Alec had a tremendous history with most of the guys on the team, but [especially] the core that you all have seen play here for two or three years. It was important to have him on the staff, and he did a good job.
“But last year, when we went into the offseason looking to replace two assistant coaches, we were very intentional in trying to find coaches that we thought would be the long-term solution for us,” Picollo added.
The Royals have Marcus Thames and Connor Dawson as assistants on manager Matt Quatraro’s staff, both joining last offseason. Picollo said there’s a plan to add another assistant hitting coach in the mix in the coming weeks.
“We have a good idea of what we think Marcus’ strengths are and Connor’s strengths are, and now you just fill in the gaps and try to put the best working team together.”
Kansas City finished tied for second in the AL in batting average (.247) and for fifth in total bases (2,186), but the club struggled to bring runners home, ranking 22nd in MLB in runs (690), largely because of a slow start.
Through May (22-37), the Royals had scored a league-worst 221 runs on 726 total bases. Batters combined for a .234/.309./.373 line, with key players like Vinnie Pasquantino slashing .165/.274/.320 in March/April and Salvador Perez slashing .200/.236/.350 in the same frame.
But injuries were an overarching factor for not just the offense -- the Royals had Maikel Garcia for just 82 games after he produced a 120 wRC+ in 2025, for example -- but the pitching staff felt it just as hard.
“We weren’t very good in April and we weren’t very good in the beginning of May,” Picollo said. “I can’t sit here and tell you we were going to be good in June, July, August and September, but if we had those players on our roster and available and healthy, I think we could have made a better run.”
The Royals ended 2026 with seven pitchers on the 60-day injured list, including starters Cole Ragans, Alec Marsh, Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila. The Royals had anticipated Carlos Estévez to continue as their closer after leading the Majors with 42 saves in 2025, but they lost him in to a right rotator cuff strain after just one appearance.
The injuries hit a rotation Picollo was “as confident as he had ever been” in. With the Royals entering 2027 with their pitching staff continuing recoveries, they have bullpen pieces and starters at the top of the offseason wishlist.
“We had nine guys we felt could start at the beginning of the year,” he said. “At the end of the year, we had two guys that weren’t in the nine who were now starting.”
Daniel Lynch IV is one of those two, transitioning into a starting role in August. Lynch made 10 starts in 2026, surrendering two earned runs or fewer in three of his final four starts. As a reliever, Lynch had a 1.96 ERA in 46 appearances.
“I think what we asked him to do is difficult to build up in the latter part of the season, especially coming out of a role where he was having a lot of success,” Picollo said. “He does believe he can start, and we think he did enough over the last two months to compete for a spot in the rotation.”
However, neither Lynch nor Randy Dobnak -- acquired in June and recalled from Triple-A Omaha in July -- has a guaranteed rotation spot going forward. Dobnak posted a 3.76 ERA in 13 starts for the club, with a career-high 74 1/3 innings pitched overall.
“He has come in and exceeded any expectation we could have had,” manager Matt Quatraro told the media last Thursday.
Royals starters finished 12th in the AL with a 4.58 ERA, with a 5.07 ERA (14th in AL) coming from the bullpen. It’s a stark drop-off from having an impressive rotation (3.80, seventh in MLB) and bullpen (3.63, seventh in MLB) last year.
“We need to get back to where we’re a top-10 rotation like we were,” Picollo said, then acknowledging the absence of starters like Ragans. “That’s why we have to address the rotation. That’s why Daniel will be competing; that’s why [Tony Gonsolin, whose option Picollo said the Royals will likely pick up] will be competing. Dobnak will be competing.
“Nothing is going to be handed to them,” Picollo added. “They’re going to have to win the job, but hopefully we bring in the right competition where the depth of our rotation is better and we’re more productive.”