Royals Owner Takes Soft Stance On Kansas City's Payroll For Next Season

Will there be any added spending?

Jul 25, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals owners group principal owner John Sherman applauds during warm ups before the game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Every Major League Baseball team has to think about its payroll heading into a new season, but some teams are under more strain than others.

Historically speaking, the Kansas City Royals have always been on the low end of spending among their rivals. However, they've been gradually building up the payroll over the last few seasons, and ranked a respectable 18th out of 30 teams at $138 million to end this season, via Spotrac.

Every fan wants their team to spend more money, but the fact is that only a select few people, if not just one person, has to make that decision for the club. And in Kansas City, the voice that matters the most is principal owner John Sherman.

Sherman talks payroll for 2026 Royals

Sep 20, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) fist bumps Kansas City Royals third base Maikel Garcia (11) after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Sherman recently discussed the team's payroll for next season with Anne Rogers of MLB.com, and said that while things are "in a good spot," while suggesting that general manager J.J. Picollo had some leeway to ask for more if he really felt the club needed it.

“I think you have to have the right mix of players,” Sherman said. “On the pitching staff, we’ve got (Seth) Lugo and (Michael) Wacha, they’re veteran guys, but we’ve got young guys making the minimum.

"That mix of salary, you’ve got to have both for a team like ours. I’m comfortable there. But to me, it’s always been with J.J.: What makes us better? If there’s something that makes us better, let’s talk about it.”

While it never sounds as though Sherman is ecstatic about the idea of trying to keep up with his big-market peers, his comments on spending to win should still be encouraging to Royals enthusiasts.

“We have to win, right?" he told Rogers. "We have to consistently try to win and be in the race. That’s going to help our business, too. It’d be great if you can have an $80 million payroll and pull it off. When we acquired the team, we had some good young guys coming up, but we didn’t really have the pipeline."

"So we had to make that investment after (2023) to give us a shot in the arm. If we can be competitive at a lesser dollar rate, that’s great. But we have found ourselves in a situation where we have to invest at a higher level, and it’s important to do so.”

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