Monday, December 01

Welcome to this edition of the Royals beat newsletter. My name is Anne Rogers, and I’ll be delivering news and insight to your inbox all offseason long. Thanks for following along!

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals checked off one of their big offseason to-dos earlier this week by signing Salvador Perez to a new two-year, $25 million contract that keeps the catcher in Kansas City through 2027.

Keeping Perez was always expected, given the 2026 club option on his previous contract; it was just a question of how the Royals would do it. Now that they got that done, it’s time to pivot to the rest of the offseason. And now that the post-World Series quiet period is over, it’s officially Hot Stove season.

Here are three more items on the Royals’ offseason to-do list:

1. Finalize the coaching staff

There’s headway in the Royals’ search to fill out their hitting staff under Alec Zumwalt, with the club expected to hire Connor Dawson, who has been a hitting coach with the Brewers since 2021. Dawson, 32, is a Kansas City-area native and was also the Mariners’ Minor League hitting coordinator in 2021.

Dawson’s hiring is not official, and the entire search is not yet complete. So it remains to be seen exactly how many new faces the Royals’ hitting department will have in 2026 after moving on from assistant hitting coaches Keoni DeRenne and Joe Dillon, as well as Minor League hitting director Drew Saylor.

There’s also a new wrinkle on the pitching side, with assistant pitching coach Zach Bove hired to be the new White Sox pitching coach. Bove spent three years with Kansas City, working in tandem with pitching coach Brian Sweeney, bullpen coach Mitch Stetter and the rest of the staff to turn pitching into a strength for the organization. Bove was heavily involved on the analytical and strategy side, often lauded by players for his creativity and messaging. It’s no surprise that Bove was sought out by other clubs. (He interviewed in Miami last offseason.) But it’s no doubt a loss for the Royals -- and an important role they have to now fill.

"The Royals were great for my own development, great for my family,” Bove told reporters in Chicago. “Really enjoyed it. It's really cool to see where we were three years ago. Where they were -- obviously last year making the playoffs and this year continuing that pitching development. I learned a ton from over there."

2. Acquire an impact bat

It’s the main priority this offseason -- the most important thing that can improve this team going into 2026. While the Royals are taking a hard look at their overall offensive philosophy and strategy as part of their coaching staff search, what remains clear is that they need another impact bat to help the lineup be more productive and add to the core in Perez, Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia and Vinnie Pasquantino.

This likely means corner outfield, as that’s a wide-open spot and the one that needs the most improving. But the Royals aren’t going to shut the door on other positions. Second base remains a possibility, if they can find the right fit. Third base even remains open because of Garcia’s versatility as an infielder -- although he just won a Gold Glove at the position, so the club might not be too keen on moving him around.

A bat can come via free agency or trade, and the Royals will explore both markets. But a trade seems most likely, especially when teams come calling about Kansas City’s surplus of starters or catching depth in the Minor Leagues.

3. Figure out how to become a threat on the bases again

The most perplexing trend in 2025 was that the Royals were not a good baserunning team. That’s supposed to be a huge part of their identity as an organization, so it must be fixed in ‘26. Witt and Garcia remain the team’s two biggest everyday threats on the bases, but the Royals must figure out how to get the most out of the rest of the roster, both in stealing bags and taking extra bases.

There’s going to be a lot of internal conversations about how baserunning can return to a strength in ‘26. We’ll see a lot of work done in Spring Training, too. But perhaps an addition can help. The Royals have work to do with their everyday lineup. Once it comes time to fill out their bench later in the winter, it won’t be shocking to see them target athletic, versatile players who can run well.

It’s already time to start the countdown toward the spring. MLB and the 30 clubs released the 2026 Spring Training schedules this week, and the Royals will play 32 exhibition games in 33 days next spring, including 29 Cactus League games.

The other three games include an exhibition vs. Team Cuba on March 3 at Surprise Stadium, plus two games against the Rangers at Globe Life Field from March 23-24 ahead of Opening Day.

The Royals’ Spring Breakout game -- the annual prospects showcase -- will be March 20 at Surprise Stadium against Rangers prospects.

Game times and broadcasting details will be announced at a later date.

Group and season ticket packages for the Spring Training season go on sale on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT, while individual game tickets at Surprise Stadium go on sale on Dec. 2.

Catcher Blake Mitchell, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Royals’ No. 2 prospect, and shortstop Daniel Vazquez, their No. 16 prospect, have been selected to the American League Fall Stars roster for the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game on Sunday at 7 p.m. CT. A combination of scouts, AFL staff and national baseball reporters selected the rosters.

Mitchell, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, took a slash line of .232/.434/.321 into Wednesday. Making his way fully back from the hamate bone injury he sustained last spring, Mitchell had one home run and five RBIs through 17 AFL games.

Vazquez has been the Royals’ best hitter in Arizona this fall. Entering Wednesday, the 21-year-old was slashing .329/.456/.466 in 20 games, with 18 RBIs and two homers, including this one off Top 100 prospect Rhett Lowder.

The Fall Stars Game will air live on MLB Network and stream live on MLB.com.

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