Kansas City Royals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

According to Mark Feinsand of the MLB Network, free-agent catcher Austin Nola and the Colorado Rockies have agreed to a non-roster invite to spring training. Nola spent last season in the Kansas City Royals organization but did not appear in a major league game. He spent most of his summer with Triple-A and held a .174/.260/.298 line and hit just five home runs. In 2023, he logged 52 games in San Diego and held an underwhelming .146/.260/.192 line with just three doubles and one home run. That season, he generated a poor .262 xSLG and .266 xwOBA. Fantasy managers should monitor his progress during Spring Training as he may be able to capture the No.2 catching role. However, Nola should remain off all fantasy radars for now given his struggles in Triple-A last season.

Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia (elbow) underwent a minor procedure to remove bone chips in his right elbow on Thursday. Garcia reported elbow soreness to the Royals after playing catch at home the week before Thanksgiving, which prompted the team to send him for an MRI exam, in which bone chips were found. Garcia is expected to be ready for spring training in February and is expected to return as the team's primary third baseman in 2025 after hitting .231/.281/.332 in 2024 with 27 doubles and 37 stolen bases. In addition to his 27 doubles and 37 stolen bases for the Royals in a career-high 157 games in his third year in the big leagues, the Venezuelan infielder hit a career-high seven home runs, drove in 58 runs and scored 84 runs in 626 plate appearances. The 24-year-old doesn't have typical home run power for a third baseman, but the speed is nice for a corner-infield target in fantasy.

The Kansas City Royals plan to use left-hander Kris Bubic as a starting pitcher next season, although he'll most likely be on an innings limit of around 140 to 150 in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. At the top of the rotation, the Royals are set heading into the 2025 campaign with veteran right-handers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha and lefty Cole Ragans. Kyle Wright (shoulder), Daniel Lynch and Noah Cameron are other options for KC's rotation. If the Royals add another pitcher this offseason, they would most likely be in more of a swing role, and it probably wouldn't come until later in the offseason. The 27-year-old Bubic had TJ surgery in April of 2023 and threw 30 1/3 relief innings late in 2024, finishing with a strong 2.67 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 39 K's and only five walks. The Royals have an opening in their rotation after trading Brady Singer to the Reds.

The Kansas City Royals are trading right-handed pitcher Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for second baseman Jonathan India, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The 28-year-old spent each of his first five professional seasons with the Kansas City Royals and held an overall 4.28 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP across 685 1/3 innings of work. Last summer, the former first-round pick held a 3.71 ERA and 1.27 WHIP across 179 2/3 innings. Singer generated a solid 48.3% ground-ball rate but struggled to limit hard contact as he held a 41.7% hard-hit rate and an 8.0% barrel rate, both below the average marks. Fantasy managers should expect Singer to have a spot in the rotation to begin the season and be viewed as a depth starting pitching option in deeper formats.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India is one of several hitters that the Kansas City Royals are targeting in a trade, according to sources briefed on the team's talks. On the flip side, right-hander Brady Singer is drawing interest from the Reds and other clubs that are looking to bolster their starting rotations. India and Singer were both first-round picks out of Florida back in 2018. A trade is not imminent, though, and the Royals are also discussing the idea of trading left-hander Kris Bubic or righty Alec Marsh for a young hitter. The 28-year-old Singer is more attractive because he's coming off a career season and is under team control for two more years. Both India and Singer will be eligible for salary arbitration a final time in 2026. Landing India would solve KC's second base woes after they tried five different players at the keystone in 2024.