DALLAS -- Three days went by without the Royals making a move at the Winter Meetings this week, but that doesn’t mean talks weren’t happening behind the scenes about what comes next in their offseason agenda.

In reality, the Royals had already made a big chunk of their moves entering the Winter Meetings: They re-signed Michael Wacha to stabilize the rotation and then traded Brady Singer to the Reds for second baseman Jonathan India, who will serve as the Royals’ leadoff hitter and add needed on-base ability to the Kansas City lineup.

There is still more to do. With limited payroll flexibility, their most likely way to address the rest of their needs is through a trade. But with the free-agent market dominating most of the Winter Meetings talk, the Royals took a wait-and-see approach this week to see the trickle-down effect of signings and how they might create opportunities for trades with other teams.

It was quiet in Nashville, Tenn., at this time last year, but it was just three days after the Meetings closed that the Royals went on a free-agent frenzy. The two offseasons aren’t comparable, but one move might prompt an opening for Kansas City.

“I think we have some clarity on what teams are trying to do,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “You just got to keep making those calls. I don’t think it’s as clear right now as it was last year. And last year, we were searching for a lot. This year, it’s more specific on what we need to help us build out the best 26-man roster we can.

“It’s an earlier market this year than last year. That should help, because you never know what will fall in your lap or develop.”

Biggest remaining needs

Versatile bench bat: The Royals are interested in rounding out their position player depth, including an athletic left-handed hitter who can play third base. This player wouldn’t necessarily be an everyday guy, instead someone manager Matt Quatraro can rely on for a professional at-bat or to play around the field when needed.

Power bat: The bigger move the Royals would like to make, but one that likely needs to come via trade, is adding a power threat in the middle of the order to lengthen the lineup and add some protection behind the heart of the offense: Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez.

Pitching depth: Pitching is a premium, and the Royals will always look for ways to increase their depth -- especially now, with Singer gone. Finding a swingman type of pitcher who can go from the rotation to bullpen depending on the need of the club would be the likeliest role for an addition.

Picollo feels good about the rotation competition entering spring and how it will also help fill out the bullpen, but the Royals will want to add to their mix of internal options.

“We have depth, but we always want more,” Picollo said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen. You want competition. You want people pushing each other. You want people to emerge.”

Rule 5 Draft

Unlike last year, when they selected reliever Matt Sauer from the Yankees, the Royals did not make a selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. They had the No. 18 pick and discussed 12-15 names, but didn’t want to take a chance on anyone available.

“It was more based on what was available this year,” Picollo said. “If there was someone we thought was an upgrade over what we have on our pitching staff, we would do that. But our bullpen is more set than it was last year.”

The Royals lost Noah Murdock from their organization when the A’s selected the righty reliever with the fifth pick. The 26-year-old was the Royals’ seventh-round pick in the 2019 Draft out of Virginia and was once listed as a Top 30 prospect. After a slew of injuries, he had a good 2024 season, posting a 3.16 ERA across 62 2/3 innings (46 games) between Double-A and Triple-A.

In the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Royals selected outfielder Bryan Gonzalez from the Red Sox organization and righty Landon Marceaux from the Mets organization. The 23-year-old Gonzalez spent the majority of the 2024 season in High-A, slashing .272/.337/.508 with 20 home runs in 91 games. Marceaux, 25, did not pitch in ‘24 because of Tommy John surgery, but he’s throwing now and should be ready in Spring Training.

GM’s bottom line

“You can’t force it. You’re trying to be opportunistic when things come along. It’s like when we signed Wacha, it’s like, ‘OK, now we have some excess pitching to try to get India. Now that India’s on our team, what’s our team look like? Eventually, we’ll hit on the right move, the right free agent and go, ‘This one makes sense.’” -- Picollo