[Biggp07]

👑 Saturday, October 18 • International FA Showcase👑

The Wild Card loss still sits heavy, but the calendar has already turned toward January 15, the 2026 roster, international scouting, farm-system decisions, and the next version of a Royals club that has to be deeper, cleaner, and more durable.

Kansas City Royals Front Office
________________________________________

Front Office Desk

Coming back to Kansas City after the Wild Card Series loss to Cleveland was not the same kind of return as last year.

Last year carried more uncertainty, more explanation, and more of that old feeling that the organization was still trying to convince people that the plan had roots. This time, the press conference was still uncomfortable, but the foundation underneath it was different. We played in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, survived a brutal September, and still reached the Wild Card round.

That does not soften being swept, but it does give the loss a different frame.

The clubhouse began to empty over the first few days after Progressive Field. Equipment bags disappeared from lockers. Players packed for home. Some said quick goodbyes; others lingered longer than expected. That is always the strange part of October, when the season ends before you are ready. One day, the room is still alive with routine, scouting reports, treatment schedules, and lineup cards. The next are laundry carts, cardboard boxes, and silence. I gave myself a couple of days to reconnect with my family because the manager's side needed to breathe, and the general manager's side needed to stop pacing long enough to think clearly. But the work was never going to wait for me.

The front office had to pivot almost immediately: offseason planning, free-agent preparation, final scouting assignments, contract-extension reviews, 40-man roster decisions, coaching interviews, and farm-system evaluations. The big-league team had reached October, but the 2026 club had already started forming in the margins.

Eflin's decision still sits near the top of the pile. Turnbull's extension request must be weighed against the rotation picture and the way his season ended. The bullpen must be rebuilt with more late-inning certainty. The bench needs a better shape. The baserunning and situational offense must be addressed, not just mentioned. And beneath all of that, the development system must keep producing.

That is where the first major offseason event entered the room: the International Amateur Free Agent Showcase. January 15 must be planned now. The international signing period is not an isolated date. It is the result of scouting, private-practice invites, bonus-pool modeling, and a clear understanding of which players best match the system's greatest gaps.

Jason McLeod and the scouting group received their first real look at the returning and newly eligible international amateurs, and I told Jason not to wait. Identify the practice invites. Build the early list. Separate the top targets from the wishful ones. We cannot sign anyone until January 15, 2026, but waiting until January to make decisions is how organizations miss out.

This winter begins now.
________________________________________

International Amateur Showcase Snapshot

The league's annual international showcase arrived on October 17, bringing the next wave of global amateurs onto scouting boards across baseball. Contracts cannot be offered until the signing period opens on January 15, but the practice invite process gives us a first chance to narrow the field, compare reports, and decide where our bonus pool should land.

One name has remained on my personal list since last year: Taketoshi Ando.

Ando is now 18 years old, from Amagasaki, Japan, and is still available after we were unable to fit his request into last year's international plan. I never wanted to lose track of him. Our bullpen ranked poorly enough in 2025 that any arm with high-leverage traits deserves a serious look. The right-hander brings a projectable bullpen profile with a 93–95 mph fastball, high future stuff, an advanced slider projection, and the personality note that he "doesn't just listen; he takes notes." He is not a finished product. No international amateur is. But the present projection gives us exactly the kind of upside we need to keep targeting.

We spent much of September learning what happens when the major-league bullpen lacks enough trustworthy arms. For a front office still feeling the sting of a postseason bullpen gap, Ando represents the kind of international relief upside worth tracking early, especially if his control and secondary command continue to move toward the scouting ceiling. The solution does not come from one signing. It comes from stacking more arms like this at every level until the system has options rather than emergencies.

Figure 1. Taketoshi Ando International Free Agent Profile — High-Upside Relief Target from Japan



Perspective: Taketoshi Ando's October 18 scouting profile keeps him firmly on the Royals' January 15 target list after he remained available from last year's international pool.
________________________________________

Postseason Picture — Watching October Without Us

The playoff bracket is moving on without Kansas City, and that is the part that still scrapes a little.

Cleveland eliminated us in two games, then pushed Tampa Bay to the limit before the Rays finally took the Division Series, three games to two. Tampa won the deciding game 3–1, with Junior Caminero earning series MVP honors after delivering three home runs and six RBIs despite a modest overall average. Cleveland did to Tampa what they did to us for long stretches: kept games uncomfortable, forced the opponent to execute, and made every late inning feel narrow.

The Rays now meet Boston in the American League Championship Series. Boston earned its place by beating Detroit three games to one, which adds another layer to our own season review. Detroit finished ahead of us late, Boston took the last Wild Card, and both kept moving after we went home.

On the National League side, San Diego advanced past St. Louis and now faces Arizona, while the Diamondbacks moved through Atlanta. The bracket has that familiar October cruelty. Teams that looked built for long runs are already gone. Clubs that survived a narrow series now get another chance to reset. We are not in that fight anymore.

Figure 2. October 18 MLB Playoff Tree — LCS Field Set Without Kansas City



Perspective: The October 18 playoff tree shows the postseason advancing to the League Championship Series, with Tampa Bay facing Boston in the American League and San Diego meeting Arizona in the National League.

Our path ended in the Wild Card round against Cleveland, while the Guardians themselves fell to Tampa Bay in a five-game Division Series. For the front office, the bracket is less a scoreboard now than a measuring stick, because it shows the level we are chasing. The clubs still alive have the roster depth, bullpen steadiness, and October execution that we must build toward in 2026. Tampa, Boston, San Diego, and Arizona all reached the LCS stage because enough of their roster held up under pressure. That is the lesson. Talent opens the door. Depth keeps it open. That is the standard we need to chase.
________________________________________

Farm System Review — Awards, Retirements, and Next Steps

The farm system has begun producing its own October ledger.

The first list on my desk was not a prospect report. It was retirements from Omaha: Jimmy Govern, Luis De Los Santos, Nate Eaton, and Dillan Shrum. None of those names changes the major-league roster tomorrow, but they do represent the churn that defines this part of the year. The upper levels must stay flexible. Every departure creates a roster spot, but every open spot also demands a better plan. The brighter news came from the Midwest League.

Ariel Almonte won the Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award unanimously after a season that demanded attention. He hit .306 with a .447 on-base percentage, 83 hits, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 36 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 73 runs across 78 games. That is not simply a good age-21 campaign. The right fielder pairs standout power with a strong on-base foundation, finishing the year at Quad Cities with a 1.204 OPS before moving to Northwest Arkansas and continuing to produce. That performance forces the front office to discuss the timeline, defensive fit, and how quickly to challenge his bat. His defensive profile fits best in the corners, but the bat is the primary tool. He is still not a finished prospect. The question is no longer whether the offensive production was loud enough. It was. The next question is how it translates against better command and more advanced breaking balls.

Figure 3. Ariel Almonte Midwest League MVP Profile — Power Bat Forcing the Timeline



Perspective: Ariel Almonte's October 18 profile gives visual weight to the season that made him the unanimous Midwest League MVP.

For the front office, Almonte has moved from "interesting power prospect" to a priority 2026 development case whose assignment and swing plan need to be handled aggressively but carefully. Almonte, however, was not the only River Bandit to show up in the voting.

Omar Reyes finished eighth in the Midwest League MVP race, which matters because the profile is different. Almonte is the power headline. Reyes is the infield bat with plate discipline, defensive versatility, and a growing offensive foundation. The 20-year-old Venezuelan infielder finished his Quad Cities season with a .269 average, .431 OBP, 15 home runs, 38 RBIs, and strong walk totals. The power is not in Almonte's class, but the eye is real, and his defensive map across second, third, and shortstop gives him multiple paths forward. His personality note points to big-game poise, and his eye grade gives him a carrying offensive skill even before the power fully matures. For the 2026 plan, Reyes belongs in the group of infield prospects whose patience and versatility could move faster than the raw overall grade suggests.

Figure 4. Omar Reyes Quad Cities Profile — On-Base Infielder with Pressure-Handling Traits



Perspective: Omar Reyes' October 18 profile highlights one of the quieter but important development wins in the lower system.

The farm system is not fixed by a single MVP or a strong on-base infielder. But these are the names that change offseason planning. When the lower levels produce real candidates, the major-league front office can stop reaching for short-term depth and begin building with internal pressure.

That is the goal; Not prospects for the sake of prospect lists, but prospects who make roster decisions harder.
________________________________________

Front Office Notes / Postseason Takeaways

The 2025 season is over, but the work has already shifted. The Wild Card exit hurt, but the front office cannot sit in it. Contract decisions, coaching moves, prospect reviews, and international scouting have all moved to the top of the board. The 2026 Royals cannot simply be the 2025 Royals with another year of experience. We need a better bullpen, cleaner baserunning, a deeper bench, healthier late-season management, and enough prospect pressure to prevent roster complacency.

• The bullpen remains the central offseason problem. Our disappointing bullpen ranking and the way the Cleveland series turned both point to the same need: more swing-and-miss, more trust in leverage, and fewer emergency innings assigned by hope.

• Ando gives us an early international pitching target. He may not be available at a comfortable price, and he may not become a starter, but the fastball-slider upside and bullpen projection fit an organizational need.

• The coaching tree remains part of the rebuild. DSL Fortuna now has new voices in place, and the remaining decisions at Columbia and Northwest Arkansas will shape how we develop the next wave.

• Ari Adut deserves a serious extension discussion. The Carolina League results over the last two years matter, and his coaching profile could eventually fit a broader role. The base-running issue at the major-league level keeps that idea on the table for later.

• Andy LaRoche's role needs review. Northwest Arkansas is too important a level to allow stagnation. If the better choice is a new voice, that decision should be made before the offseason gets crowded.

• Omaha retirements open upper-level space. Govern, De Los Santos, Eaton, and Shrum moving on clears roster room, but it also reminds us that Triple-A depth must be refreshed before injuries expose it.


Around the League

Around the majors, several postseason and injury stories continued to shape the broader landscape. Texas confirmed that Jacob deGrom would miss the rest of the postseason with forearm inflammation after a season in which he struck out 214 hitters over 160 innings.

David Robertson also announced his retirement after a career that included 893 appearances, 182 saves, 1,181 strikeouts, and a 2.93 ERA.

Colorado's Melvin Zelaya suffered a setback in his strained oblique recovery and is expected to need at least two more weeks before returning to action. The Rockies described it as a setback from pushing too hard during workouts, a reminder that October recovery plans require patience even when the season is over.

Kansas City is no longer part of the bracket, but the bracket is still part of our work.

Every team still playing is showing us what must be built next.
________________________________________
👑 FOR THE CROWN — ALWAYS 👑
Kansas City Royals | Postseason 2025 – October 18 IAFA Showcase



(OOTP25 Royals Journey — GM/Manager's Dual Log)