Boys In Blue – The Experiment Continues…

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👑 Thursday, December 18 – Wednesday, December 31 • New Year’s Eve / Winter Ledger Close 👑

Kansas City closes December with ownership raising the long-term expectation from postseason progress to dynasty-building.

Kansas City Royals Front Office
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Front Office Desk

The Winter Meetings ended with me feeling better than when I arrived. Chris Paddack was signed. The San Diego trade added system texture. We had avoided Hongwu Fan's ballooning demand. Several free agent offers were still alive.

I did not get much time to enjoy Orlando during the Winter Meetings, so I gave myself breathing room the morning after. Nothing extravagant. A quiet hotel morning. A few local shops. A little sunlight that did not come with Kansas City wind chill attached. Enough time to remind myself that I was not just a man moving salaries across a screen and trying to keep a bullpen from catching fire before it existed.

Then I got on the plane and came back to Kansas City.

Back to Kauffman.

Back to the board.
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Rule 5 Desk — Finding a Catcher in the Overlooked Aisle

The Rule 5 Draft was waiting the next day, forcing one more roster decision. Even though we had protected the players we wanted to protect, I wanted one more look at the pool. Specifically, I wanted catchers, but not just any catcher. A high-framing defensive catcher who could slot behind Dillon Dingler or Salvador Perez to start the year.

Preserving Salvy's knees, legs, and overall health was a concern throughout 2025, and it will be a concern again in 2026 because time does not ask permission before it takes another step. Salvy can still matter to this team, but he cannot be asked to carry the same catching load forever. If we can move him toward more first-base and designated-hitter work while leaning more on Dingler and a strong defensive option behind the plate, we should.

Right now, we have Carter Jensen and Omar Hernandez in Triple-A/Double-A. Neither is ready for a major-league debut in April. Omar would get the call first if we needed someone, but both need to cook longer in Omaha before we commit to either as part of the long-term catching plan.

Below them, in High-A, are Blake Mitchell and Axiel Plaz. Both are highly rated in our system, and Mitchell is the bigger name, ranked No. 88 in the league. Both have above-average framing, but Mitchell holds the better overall toolkit with the bat and glove. Realistically, we are looking at 2028 for him, maybe 2027 if the development gods decide to throw us a fastball down the middle.

That still leaves 2026, so the Rule 5 pool mattered if the right player was there. And one name kept coming back to the top.

Connor Pavolony, a 26-year-old catcher from the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

The defensive profile caught me first. All of his defensive ratings sat above 65, and that is exactly the kind of catcher I was hoping might fall to us. The bat was not empty either. His Jacksonville line showed .295/.409/.896, and he looks like he'll draw plenty of walks. With some work, Pavolony can be a pivotal bench player behind Salvy or Dingler.

That is the kind of role that does not make the winter highlight reel but helps protect a roster across six months. A catcher who frames well, receives cleanly, buys strikes for the staff, and gives Salvy more DH or first-base days has value beyond the box score.

We held the 22nd pick. If Pavolony came around to us, we would take him.

If we got him, he would take the final 40-man roster spot, and we would deal with the crowding later. That is part of this stage. The closer we get to Opening Day, the more we have to decide who gets to stay, who gets the invite, and who gets caught in the numbers game. With Teoscar, Estévez, Bautista, and Escalera still holding out on their contracts, I would need to clear the 40-man, so they felt they had room in our organization. That's likely why they have been sitting on their contracts rather than signing. We waived/DFA'd 3 secondary roster slots to make room for them. Hopefully that will provide them with resolution, and we get them here by New Year's Eve.

That is baseball housekeeping. Unpleasant, necessary, and usually more important than it looks.

Figure 1. Connor Pavolony Rule 5 Profile — Defensive Catching Target Behind Salvy and Dingler



Perspective: The December Rule 5 review identifies Connor Pavolony as Kansas City's preferred catcher target. His defensive ratings sit above 65 across the board, and his Jacksonville line of .295/.409/.896 shows enough offensive patience to make him more than a glove-only addition. For the Royals, Pavolony fits the 2026 catching plan: protect Salvador Perez's workload, support Dillon Dingler, and add high-framing depth while Carter Jensen, Omar Hernandez, Blake Mitchell, and Axiel Plaz continue to develop.
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December 19 — Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft arrived on December 19.

Clubs across the league eyed the pool for undervalued talent. It is one of the most overlooked parts of the offseason, but it can shape a roster in strange ways. A player with four or more years in an organization after signing at 19 or older becomes eligible if he is not protected on the secondary roster. Players signed at 18 or younger get one additional year. The selected player must stay on the major-league roster all year or be offered back.

It is a draft built for second chances. It is also a draft that punishes clubs that misread their own depth. I watched the catcher board first.

Jake Rogers was the first catcher selected, going 9th overall to Oakland. I had looked at him as an alternate if Connor went early, so that one made me sit a little straighter.

Chris Cauley went 12th to Philadelphia.

Edison Duran went 20th to Texas.

Then pick 21 passed.

Connor Pavolony was still there.

At pick 22, we took him.

And then we were done for the day. No need to get greedy.

The full Rule 5 Draft went four rounds, with 48 players selected across the league. The Mets seemed to take a bulk of the draftees, and we will see how that works out for them. Sometimes volume works. Sometimes it clogs the roster before camp even begins.

For us, the day was simple.

We targeted the catcher. We got the catcher. We went home.
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Catching Desk — Protecting Salvy Without Pushing the Kids

Pavolony's selection fits a larger catching plan.

Salvy stays, but Salvy needs protection. Dingler needs room to carry more of the job. Jensen and Omar Hernandez need Omaha. Mitchell and Plaz need their development timelines respected. The mistake would be rushing one of the kids because the major-league bench needed a defensive catcher in April.

That is how organizations turn a depth problem into a development problem.

Pavolony gives us a bridge.

If he sticks, he gives the staff another receiver and gives the manager more flexibility. I can rest Salvy without feeling like I have punted the running game, the strike zone, or the pitcher's comfort. That matters in a season where the bullpen is being rebuilt, and the rotation is trying to re-form without Eflin.

Sometimes the catcher does not need to be the story. He just needs to keep the story from getting messy.
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Christmas Desk — Bautista Walks Himself Out of the Plan

After the Rule 5 Draft, things went quiet again. Too quiet.

The contract offers still sat in the inbox waiting for signatures, and the silence left me unsettled through Christmas Eve. I tried to enjoy the holiday, but I would be lying if I said the open business did not follow me around.

Then Christmas Day added unwanted weight, impatience from Angel Bautista's camp. He wanted another increase in his contract terms.

At that point, I was done. I guess I was not in the mood, especially today, and the games I played did not need to be contract renegotiations. So, Bautista can play with another team.

We had already claimed Gage Workman off waivers earlier in the month, and he was sitting in Omaha ready to help if we needed him. Bautista had appeal as a contact-and-speed piece, but not enough for me to keep chasing the number upward after we had already made a reasonable push. Maybe we will catch up with him another time after he demonstrates his worth in the majors.

Christmas needed to be celebrated. The roster was not perfect, but I was comfortable enough with where we were heading into the 2026 preseason and spring training. The rest of the year would be about waiting for the remaining offers to come back signed.

Baseball does not stop for the holidays, but sometimes you must make yourself put the phone down anyway.
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December 28 — Eflin Lands in Cleveland

December 28 delivered the worst news of the month to the fanbase; it was a gut punch:

Zack Eflin signed with Cleveland.

The fan reaction was terrible. Overall fan interest dropped significantly, with the estimated loss showing a four-point decline from 61 after the news broke. I cannot say it made my Christmas holiday any better, especially with Bautista's withdrawal 3 days ago.

The Guardians and Eflin appeared before the Cleveland media after marathon contract talks, with Eflin set to make $183 million over six years. His career record is 73–73 with a 4.22 ERA, but that does not capture what he was for us in 2025 or what Cleveland just took off the board.

Seeing him in the division hurts more than seeing him leave.

If he had gone to the National League, the sting would have been cleaner. If he had gone somewhere we saw occasionally, maybe it would have been easier to bury the regret.

Cleveland is the club that ended our postseason.

Cleveland is the club we have to chase inside the division picture.

Cleveland now gets the pitcher we failed to secure when the number was lower, and the relationship still felt manageable.

That one will sit with me; no use pretending otherwise. We had our chance in September, and we missed it. Now the fans know it too.

This is where Paddack's signing must matter. This is where Arronde's development must matter. This is where the bullpen rebuilding must matter. If Eflin wins in Cleveland and we wobble, every headline will write itself.

The only answer is to build a team that makes the regret less useful.
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Free-Agent Desk — Estévez and Escalera Finally Say Yes

By December 31, two of the offers finally came back signed.

Carlos Estévez is coming to Kansas City.

Luis Escalera is coming into our system.

That means we can begin the year with the bullpen revamped and with fresh arms to try. I am not going to pretend that signing Estévez and Escalera solves everything. It does not. But combined with Robert Garcia, Adrián Martínez, Walter Pennington, Quinton Low, and the internal competition already in place, the late-inning picture finally looks less like an emergency and more like a camp competition.

Estévez wrote that after discussing it with his family, he would sign our offer and play for Kansas City.

Good. I want players who have actually chosen this place.

Escalera thanked us for letting him play in our minor-league system and said he hoped to help in the big leagues soon.

Good again. That is the right tone. He is not being handed a job. He is being handed a path.

The rest is on him.

Figure 2. Carlos Estévez Signing Profile — Veteran Relief Arm Joins the Bullpen Reset



Perspective: The December 31 signing screen confirms Carlos Estévez as a Kansas City addition, giving the Royals another experienced bullpen option after a winter focused heavily on late-inning reconstruction. Estévez joins a group that now includes Robert Garcia, Adrián Martínez, Walter Pennington, Quinton Low, Mason Thompson, Ryan Walker, Anderson Paulino, and other internal arms competing to stabilize the innings that repeatedly strained the 2025 club.
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Teoscar Watch — One Contract Short

We reached New Year's Eve one contract short of the intended goal.

Teoscar Hernández still had not signed.

I am honestly not sure what the delay is or what his camp does not like. It is not as if he lacks a position on this team and there is a spot waiting for him on the 40-man. The corner-outfield need is real, and the lineup still needs the thump after Meadows slipped into free agency. Maybe it is just the holiday pause, or maybe we hear from him soon.

If not, there is still time to look at the free-agent board and find another bat. We can also press Ariel Almonte or Jose Rodriguez sooner than planned, though I would rather not force that if the club can avoid it.

Sometimes your timing is right. Sometimes it is not.

That is part of baseball, and it happens to every team if they are playing it honestly.

For now, Teoscar remains the open tab.

I do not like open tabs, but I can live with one on New Year's Eve.
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Financial Desk — Build a Dynasty

By New Year's Eve, Estévez and Escalera had signed; Teoscar was still unsigned; and the books looked good.

Really good.

But one item in the financial summary had changed since just a few weeks ago, and there it was staring back at me:

Build a Dynasty.

The financial summary showed a new ownership mandate, and that is not a small sentence.

Two years ago, this organization was trying to find its footing. I guess John Sherman was happy with where I have been managing and leading this club, so he decided to raise the bar for 2026. The calendar has turned from survival to expectation.

I took a long drink of Macallan and a deep drag off the Oliva, then sat with the satisfaction of where this team has come in two years. Now ownership is talking dynasty.

Congratulations to me, I guess. I can actually do this job under two hats.

Build a Dynasty.

That is exciting.

Those words are also dangerous.

Dynasty is not a goal you casually place on a desk. It raises expectations. It changes how every move is evaluated. A good signing becomes a step. A missed signing becomes a flaw. A playoff berth becomes the beginning, not the reward.

But I would be lying if I said it did not make me smile.

I am having fun.

Figure 3. Kansas City Financial Summary — Ownership Raises the Bar to "Build a Dynasty"



Perspective: The New Year's Eve financial summary shows Kansas City entering 2026 with improved books and a changed ownership expectation: "Build a Dynasty." After an 85-win postseason season and a winter of calculated additions, John Sherman's new mandate signals that the Royals are no longer being measured only by progress, but by sustained contention.
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Manager's Desk — The Roster Feels Closer, Not Finished

From the dugout view, the end of December feels better than the middle of it.

Yes, we lost Eflin, and that still hurts.

But Paddack is here. Estévez is here. Escalera is in the system. Pavolony gives us a catcher-defense option. The bullpen has more depth and variety than it did a month ago. The farm has Arronde, Almonte, Owen, Mitchell, Plaz, Jensen, Omar Hernandez, and enough names to suggest the 2026 roster does not have to be filled entirely from outside.

That is the encouraging part. The unfinished part is the bat.

Figure 4. 2024/2025 Season Batting Comparison Summary — Offensive Growth with a Baserunning Warning



Perspective: The side-by-side batting leaderboard shows how far Kansas City's offense moved from 2024 to 2025. The board highlights the offseason correction point: despite remaining fourth in stolen bases, Kansas City's baserunning value dropped to -8.3, last in the AL, making smarter reads and cleaner aggression a key emphasis for the manager in 2026.

The batting comparison board gives me one more reason to feel better about where the 2026 roster is headed, even with Teoscar Hernández still unsigned. If Teoscar signs, the lineup feels cleaner. If he does not, we must decide whether to chase another corner outfielder, move faster on Almonte, or trust a mix of internal depth and smaller free-agent options.

The 2025 offense was not just a little better than the 2024 group. It changed tiers. Batting average moved from 5th in the AL to 3rd, hits climbed from 7th to 3rd, extra-base hits jumped from 7th to tie for 3rd, and slugging percentage rose from 11th all the way to 4th. That is not cosmetic progress. That is a lineup learning how to square the baseball, use the gaps, and turn contact into damage.

The power followed too. Home runs improved from 128 in 2024 to 187 in 2025, and WAR nearly doubled from 9.9 to 18.2. That tells me the club was not just getting more hits; it was getting more meaningful production from the batting order.

The warning label is still there. We stole fewer bases, fell from 1st in the AL in 2024 to 4th in 2025, and the baserunning value crashed from +7.7 to -8.3, dead last in the league. That fits what I felt from the dugout. We still had speed, but we did not always use it cleanly. Too many outs on the bases. Too many reads that felt a half-step late. Too much pressure turned back on ourselves.

As I look toward January 27 and the start of preseason, the offensive message is clear: keep the 2025 damage and clean up the running game. Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvy, and the next layer of bats give us enough foundation to believe the lineup can hold. But if we want to build the kind of roster John Sherman is now asking for — not just a playoff team, but a dynasty — the 2026 Royals cannot afford to give up outs while trying to play fast.

The bats took a real step. Now the legs must catch up.
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Front Office Offseason Notes

December did not fix everything, but it provided structure and closed the first major chapter of the 2026 offseason. But it reminded me that structure is not the same thing as certainty.

The financial summary now says, "Build a Dynasty," which changes the feel of everything heading into January. That is dangerous, but that is the job.

As we head into 2026, the next checkpoints are clear:

January 15 — International Signing Day. Now matters for the long-term board.

International Signing Day is where we try to find the next future arm, the next Blanco, the next Jose Hernandez, the next player who might show up three years from now and make us look smarter than we were.

January 27 — Preseason begins. Matters for the immediate one.

Preseason is where the winter stops being theory.

The calendar is turning. The 2026 Royals are not complete, but they are closer. Camp is getting closer. International signings. Preseason. Spring Training.

The road to Opening Day is no longer a general idea; it is on the calendar.

And for the first time this winter, I can feel the excitement starting to outrun the anxiety.
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Around the League

December was busy with lots of moves across the league. The Cubs and Rangers made a trade involving Nico Hoerner and some cash, while Washington signed Daniel Vogelbach. The Dodgers brought in Hunter Harvey, and St. Louis added Tyler Rogers. Arizona picked up Trevor Megill, Toronto signed Ryan Brasier, and the Mets landed Walker Buehler. Pittsburgh signed Ranger Suárez, and Seattle made a deal with Tyler O'Neill.

The rest of the league kept moving, and so did we. The difference now is that December is over, and the new year belongs to the next layer.
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👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑

Kansas City Royals | 2026 Offseason — December 18–31, 2025
(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)