Where Things Stand For Royals In Cardinals All-Star Trade Talks
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The Kansas City Royals added two important bats to their lineup in the month of December, signing outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year contract and trading with the Milwaukee Brewers for Isaac Collins.
However, they aren’t done just yet. There still are more pieces they could afford to add to their roster for 2026 to ensure a better finish than that of 2025. Offense remains a priority.
They were one of the teams showing interest in St. Louis Cardinals star second baseman Brendan Donovan. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shed some light on where things stand in potential trade talks for the All-Star.
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Where Things Stand In Royals’ Donovan Pursuit
“Donovan also is under club control for only two more seasons, the second of which is threatened by a lockout. The Kansas City Royals remain among the teams interested, but if the Cardinals prefer premium young bats, the Seattle Mariners are perhaps the best fit,” Rosenthal wrote.
The Royals would be a good fit for Donovan, as he can play almost anywhere on the field, including left field and second base, two areas of need for the Royals. He won the Utility Gold Glove back in 2022, his rookie season.
Rosenthal notes that while the Cardinals view him as a superstar, not all teams see him that way, so that could be holding things up, and the Cardinals only want to deal Donovan if they get an offer they simply can’t refuse.
Clearly, that hasn’t happened yet, and it’s unclear whether or not the Royals would be able to give them what they’re looking for. They do have plenty of young and controllable starting pitching that could add to the Cardinals’ depth if a deal is made.
However, the quality of arms might not be there for St. Louis to take, so for now, Donovan remains a Cardinal, but the Royals still are one of the teams interested.
It may be that the Cardinals have to lower their asking price a little bit, and that could give the Royals clearance to make a deal with St. Louis for the All-Star second baseman.
It will be interesting to see what the Royals decide to do and if they’ll be willing to give St. Louis what they are looking for in a trade.
More MLB: Cardinals, Royals Trade Talk Update Drops Regarding All-Star 2nd Baseman
Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.
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