How Royals' Rotation Could Become Major Problem in 202

It's their biggest strength, but that can change.

Sep 17, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (55) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals have had a productive offseason, signing Lane Thomas and trading for Isaac Collins, Nick Mears and Matt Strahm. The team looks to be in a much better place entering 2026 after falling short in 2025.

The ultimate strength of the team right now is their starting pitching. They have Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron in their starting five. That should help them remain in contention in a weak American League Central.

However, the rotation is not invincible, and what sometimes happens in baseball is that strengths one year can become weaknesses the next. Here is how the rotation could come back to haunt them in 2026.

Royals' rotation beware?

Aug 13, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

At various points last season, Ragans and Lugo dealt with injuries, and Lugo's performance declined late in the season. Bubic also went on the shelf in the second half of the year and missed the rest of the 2025 season, so there are question marks with their top three starters.

Fortunately, there's a lot of depth. Cameron stepped up in a big way in 2025, posting a 2.99 ERA in 24 starts, but he averaged just 7.4 strikeouts per nine innings and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.65, so there could be some regression. That leaves Wacha as the only sure thing, and even he has struggled with injuries in the past.

So, if one or both of Lugo and Ragans struggles to stay healthy. They could be in trouble. There's also no guarantee that Bubic will return to his All-Star form from a year ago. If he can't replicate that success and stay off the injured list, then there could be some bigger concerns for the Royals in 2026.

As of now, things are looking pretty good for Kansas City, but it might not hurt for them to add at least one more rotation arm so they can be sure they have enough depth to get through 2026. The higher-priced arms like Zac Gallen and Lucas Giolito won't be options, but they can always look into adding a back-end arm like Nick Martinez, Jose Quintana, or even Griffin Canning.

Those are options that can be signed to one-year deals, which would work out quite well for the Royals. We'll see if they decide to add more, but the rotation may not be as secure as they think.

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