Kansas City’s 2025 felt like two seasons spliced together: a team that never quite had its front-line arms on the field at the same time, and a front office that quietly kept piling up rotation options anyway. The headliners barely shared the stage, Cole Ragans managed only 13 starts and Kris Bubic lost the second half to injury, yet the Royals still finished the year looking suspiciously like a club with more starting pitchers than openings. That combination of unmet potential and real depth tends to point in one direction when winter arrives: use the surplus to fix the lineup, and it’s exactly the kind of situation the San Diego Padres can exploit if a reunion is on the table.
KC Royals’ surplus of ex-Padres pitchers could open door to reunion
