Full-squad workouts start for Royals
What me, worry?
With hours of watching Olympic curling under my belt and video clips of Royals live ABs littering my X timeline, I’ve been like a pig in slop the last week or so.
Not a care in the world right?
Au contraire dear reader…
I’m worried about plenty when it comes to our Kansas City Royals and their 2026 campaign, so let’s dig right in to the list.
The big baddy, the monster that keeps me up at night, is the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Look…in a vacuum I love the WBC. International competition is unlike any other, getting to represent your country is among the highest honors an athlete can receive. I watched many of the games in the last WBC (2023), the emotions and aura surrounding them are unreal.
I also watched this happen in the 2023 WBC…
That’s Edwin Diaz, the star closer for the New York Mets, being helped off the field after tearing his patellar tendon in a post-victory celebration at home plate in the 2023 WBC. Diaz would go on to miss the entire 2023 Mets season.
As you might know, I’m also a huge hockey fan. I’ve been glued to the Olympic hockey tournament, one that is chock full of NHL stars. It would be a little hypocritical to say that the WBC should be done away with due to risk of injury, but you might get a different take from LA Kings fans.
This is LA Kings winger Kevin Fiala being unceremoniously stretchered off Olympic ice last Friday after suffering a lower leg injury that will sideline him for the rest of the NHL season.
Hockey is different than baseball of course. As a fan the difference for me is I don’t have a hockey team that I live and die with.
Here are the Royals who are on the 40 man roster AND taking part in the World Baseball Classic when it opens on March 3rd..
TEAM USA - Bobby Witt Jr, Michael Wacha
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Carlos Estevez
VENEZUELA - Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia
ITALY - Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone
PUERTO RICO - Seth Lugo (by the way, the starting center fielder for Team Puerto Rico is slated to be one MJ Melendez. Hilarity is bound to ensue)
CANADA - Eric Cerantola
Folks that’s the 5 most important guys in your everyday lineup, 40% of your starting rotation, and your closer.
I get it, injuries can happen anywhere and anytime. But this just seems like tempting fate a little.
The upside of sending a large contingent of players to the WBC is that 1) it means you have good players, and 2) it opens spring reps for others while the big boys are away. The prime beneficiary of that this year could be catcher Carter Jensen. He’ll be the #1 guy while Salvy is off captaining the Venezuela squad.
Jensen appeared in 20 games last September, but only caught 10. Getting extra time behind the plate and working with the Royals pitching staff can only be a positive for him this spring. Salvy turns 36 in May and even though he has seemingly fought Father Time to a standstill so far, the old bastard remains undefeated.
The WBC isn’t the only thing that has me gnawing fingernails as the season approaches.
Maikel Garcia’s Mindset - I initially typed the word “attitude” in place of mindset, but I think the connotation with that is a little harsh. There’s no doubt that Garcia was wonderful in 2025, but it’s also true that he was very bad in 2024. Even the most ardent Garcia fanboy has to admit that sometimes Maikel’s on field effort level and body language are sketchy.
Garcia got paid in the off-season, signing a a 5yr, $57.5M contract extension. Sometimes guys who get paid can sit back on their wallet a little and let the inner fire to improve and compete start to flicker. I’m not saying that will happen with the Royals third baseman, but it’s something to watch for particularly if Garcia struggles out of the gate in 2026.
The Pressure on Jac Caglianone - By not adding an “impact” bat in the off-season, JJ Picollo and the Royals have heaped an extra helping of expectation and pressure on Cags. Can he be that bat? Absolutely. But now he HAS to be that bat.
Let’s face it, the first 62 games of Caglianone’s big league career were rough. He slashed 157/237/295 in KC, and posted an ungood 49 OPS+.
He hit way too many ground balls last year (50.6%) and struck out a ton (22.4%). The hype surrounding his call-up was through the roof, and it seemed like Cags never got comfortable at the major league level.
The guy has nothing left to prove or gain by spending more time in the minors, but we need to see a more polished and confident Caglianone. With the inability of the front office to bolster the lineup significantly, the fortunes of the 2026 Royals could depend in large part on Jac’s production.
Kris Bubic’s Health - Bubic made 20 starts last year before going down with a rotator cuff strain. When healthy he was outstanding with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP over 116.1 innings, but we haven’t seen Bubic in a game since July 26th of last year.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com reported last week that Bubic was throwing with “no restrictions”, but time will tell.
Concerns about Bubic’s health and the fact that he is a free agent after 2026 hampered his trade value in the off-season. The Royals were actively shopping him in their quest for an impact outfielder, but nothing came of it.
Yet.
In the last 24 hours, trade rumors involving OF Ramon Laureano of the Padres and the Royals have heated up. Any deal with San Diego will involve a KC starting pitcher, likely Bubic or perhaps fellow left-hander Noah Cameron.
This was posted this morning by an account that claims to be a member of the Royals front office…
Based on health and contract issues, I’d much prefer the Royals move Bubic and hang on to Cameron who has years of team control remaining.
Other Important Stuff
Cactus League play starts on Friday for the Royals with a 2pm CST tilt against the Texas Rangers, you’ll be able to catch game on 96.5 FM in Kansas City. The Royals will have audio coverage for 29 of the 32 games this spring, and will televise games on 3/3, 3/13, and 3/17.
Here’s the broadcast schedule…
Coming up on DC we’ll take a look at a few of the things I’m NOT worried about surrounding the 2026 Royals, as well as give you my guide to consuming Royals content this season. As always, thank you for reading and sharing Diamond Chronicles!