Royals open to trading starter, Picollo says no one ‘off limits’

The Kansas City Royals are open to trading a starting pitcher, and general manager J.J. Picollo said no one is “off limits” in the right deal.

“Our starting pitching, we have some depth there,” Picollo said, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “A lot of teams are looking for starting pitching, so if we have what they may be interested in, and they have an outfielder that would be of interest, then there’s potentially the opportunity to make a deal.”

The Royals are projected to enter the 2026 campaign with Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Kris Bubic, and Noah Cameron in the rotation.

While Picollo said the Royals are reluctant to trade Wacha or Lugo, he added anything is possible if the return fits his club’s needs. That appears to include Ragans, who owns a 3.32 ERA and 10.8 K/9 in 57 starts for the Royals, and is under contract until 2029.

“There would have to be a really big return for one (starter) in particular,” Picollo said.

The Royals missed the playoffs last season despite finishing the campaign with the seventh-best rotation by ERA.