Royals were willing to make huge offseason splash before signing Carlos Estevez

Before the Kansas City Royals acquired closer Carlos Estevez this week, rumor has it the team had its sights set on an even bigger splash: slugger Anthony Santander. According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Royals extended Santander a three-year, $66 million offer, with an opt-out after the second year. But that offer ultimately paled in comparison to how far the Toronto Blue Jays were willing to go to land the switch-hitting outfielder.

Santander will make $95.2 million over the next five seasons, and Toronto's landing a key free agent is a story for a different day. In the meantime, the Royals will settle for adding Estevez, who is still a great piece to have at the back of K.C.'s bullpen. Earlier in the offseason, the Royals acquired Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer from Cincinnati in exchange for Brady Singer. This weakened their rotation, but it is still an area of strength with Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha and any bounce back from former top prospect Kyle Wright.

Kansas City's lineup, however, would have been that much better on paper, slotting Santander into the heart of the order, surrounded by some combination of Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino. Kansas City sat near the middle of the pack in runs per game in 2024 with a mark of 4.46. Their bullpen, however, was 20th in MLB, and perhaps the argument can be made that they addressed a more significant need if it were one move or the other. If you believe in Carlos Estevez's ability to lock down the 9th inning, then he's a massive upgrade for a team that needed a closer on their roster.

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What's next for the Kansas City Royals?

After cracking the postseason for the first time since 2015, it's nice to see the Royals tack on more payroll. They are currently up to an estimated $167 million, an increase from $122 million payroll last season. If the team is still looking for offensive weapons, particularly in the outfield, names like Randal Grichuk, who has batted .269/.318/.459 over the past three seasons, could be an interesting depth piece for cheap. Another bullpen arm shouldn't be out of the question, either.

It's worth noting that, after missing out on just about every other target this offseason, Toronto was uniquely motivated to do whatever was necessary to land Santander. Five years is a long time for this sort of player, and there's a chance the deal might not age all that well. Still, the corner outfield situation is less than ideal in Kansas City, and Santander isn't the only target they could've been in on — could they have beaten the three-year, $42 million deal the Atlanta Braves gave to Jurickson Profar, for instance?

It would have added a strong punch to the lineup by landing Santander, and you would have loved to see the Royals get aggressive and land Santander and Estevez. The AL Central has become newly competitive, with the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians looking like contenders in their own right. Factor in the remaining teams in the AL, and we're set to have another Wild Card race come right down to the wire in 2025.