DALLAS -- A year ago at the Winter Meetings, the Royals were aggressively pursuing their free-agent targets, and although it was a quiet few days in Nashville, their flurry of activity came quickly after as they rebuilt and revamped their roster.

This year at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, the Royals are in a similar wait-and-see mode -- but with far fewer holes after that revamped roster brought Kansas City its first playoff appearance in nine years.

The Royals have already accomplished much of what they set out to do this offseason when they re-signed starter Michael Wacha and acquired leadoff hitter Jonathan India from the Reds. General manager J.J. Picollo is still searching for a big bat to add power to the lineup, but he said Monday that the club is also seeking a versatile defender who can play third base and hits from the left side to help round out its position-player group.

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"It would be ideal,¡± Picollo said of adding power to the Royals¡¯ lineup. ¡°That¡¯s our goal. You¡¯d like to do that. But I¡¯ve kind of moved onto focusing on the left-handed hitter who can play third base. Because until these free agents sign, nobody¡¯s really pushing a trade.

"... We can think about it two different ways: If you can get the bat you want, you don¡¯t worry as much about athleticism. It¡¯s another run-producer. The other way, when we talk about free agents and piecing the team together, you want to be more athletic -- pinch-running, good defense, give you a good at-bat when they¡¯re called upon.¡±

It¡¯s a similar idea the Royals had last offseason when they signed Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson. They had nearly identical OPS numbers in 2024: Frazier's was .576, Hampson's .575. Frazier logged 294 plate appearances, while Hampson recorded 231 plate appearances. Those two could potentially re-sign, but the Royals would like to exhaust other options first in search of better production.

"If we¡¯re not going to be able to get the power, scoring runs, then you want to be more athletic,¡± Picollo said. ¡°It¡¯s those margins [manager Matt] Quatraro talks about all the time. You¡¯re trying to improve on the margins. If you can¡¯t get a legit bat, try to make your 13 as good as you can make it.¡±

On the free-agent side for a left-handed hitter, sources confirmed the Royals¡¯ interest in Josh Rojas, as The Athletic reported over the weekend. Rojas was non-tendered by the Mariners last month, can play third base and the outfield and slashed .225/.304/.336 last season.

Picollo acknowledged that the most likely path toward adding a legit power bat is through a trade, because the Royals have very little payroll flexibility. The price could still be steep, though, in terms of the return package teams would be asking for.

In terms of prospects, the Royals would be extremely reluctant to trade their top tier of prospects: Jac Caglianone (No. 1), Blake Mitchell (No. 2), Blake Wolters (No. 4), Carter Jensen (No. 5) and Steven Zobac (No. 17). The next tier, which would include players like pitcher Ben Kudrna (No. 3) or their catching depth with Hyungchan Um or Ramon Ramirez, is more what the Royals would be open to trading.

"Because we went on to win, and we have an opportunity to win again, I think we¡¯ve got to be a little more open-minded,¡± Picollo said about trading prospects.

So far, though, conversations have centered around Major League players, and the Royals remain hesitant to keep trading from the roster when they¡¯re trying to add depth, not part with it.

News and notes

? Picollo said the Royals¡¯ search for a third baseman doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t view Maikel Garcia as an everyday player; Garcia, a righty, will still see a lot of playing time, either as a platoon for a lefty third baseman or by playing elsewhere in the field.

? Picollo spoke very highly of a pair of pitching prospects on Monday: Zobac and Noah Cameron, the latter of which was added to the 40-man roster in November to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. The Royals will still look to add one or two pitchers this offseason for depth, but both prospects are considered part of the Royals¡¯ pitching depth in 2025, with Cameron further along in his development than Zobac after ending the season in Triple-A Omaha.

"The way Cameron ended the season, we had him with the group working out in Arizona during the playoffs because we talked about what would happen if we lost a starter or who could be a long man,¡± Picollo said. ¡°We talked about Cameron. We have a lot of confidence in him.¡±