Kansas City Royals
· 2026-07-02
The Kansas City Royals have had a disappointing season, losing their 50th game and currently owning the second-worst record in baseball.
The Royals lost 0-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 1, 2026, and are now 15th in the American League with a 35-52 record.
Cole Ragans will undergo an elbow procedure, keeping him out for an extended period and affecting the team's trade plans.
Ragans was a potential trade piece, but his injury changes the team's strategy, making Michael Wacha a more likely candidate for trade.
Wacha leads the American League in innings pitched with 108.2 and has a 3.31 ERA, making him an attractive option for other teams.
The Royals will have to decide whether to trade Wacha or other veteran arms like Seth Lugo, who has not returned to his 2024 form.
The team is not October-bound, 10 games back of the first-place Chicago White Sox, and will likely be sellers at the trade deadline.
The Royals' poor season is despite some optimism during the winter, when they made moves to build on their 82-win campaign from a year ago.
But things can change fast in the American League Central division, as the White Sox have shown, going from a historic 121-loss season to currently sitting atop the division.
The Royals could be looking at a much brighter 2027 if they hit on a couple of deals at this deadline.
And with the right moves, the team could be back in postseason contention sooner rather than later.
So the Royals will have to make some tough decisions in the coming weeks to set themselves up for success.
The team's decision on whether to deal Wacha or other players will be crucial in shaping their future.
But for now, the focus is on the present and making the most of a disappointing season.
The Royals will have to regroup and figure out what went wrong in 2026.