Why Royals Couldn't Pull Off Brendan Donovan Trade With Cardinals

How was KC ever going to compete here?

Jul 24, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three run home run against the San Diego Padres during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Brendan Donovan made sense for the Kansas City Royals, but the Royals didn't make sense for the St. Louis Cardinals.

On Monday, the Cardinals shipped Donovan, their All-Star second baseman, to the Seattle Mariners. The result was an absolute haul, which saw St. Louis pick up two former first-round picks, plus two Competitive Balance Round B picks in this summer's Major League Baseball Draft.

All winter, it seemed like the Royals didn't want to give up on trading for Donovan. But now that they've seen the package he went for, they can rest easy knowing that there really wasn't anything they could do to measure up.

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Royals didn't have the farm system to match this deal

Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Blake Mitchell (8) during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Because it was a three-team trade, Seattle wound up giving up four very valuable assets. They sent outfielder Tai Peete and right-handed pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (possibly still a switch-pitcher?), plus the 68th overall pick in the draft, to St. Louis. But they also shipped slick-fielding third baseman Ben Williamson to the Tampa Bay Rays.

If we're trying to find the Royals' equivalent for this trade, you probably have to swap out Peete and Cijntje for outfielder Sean Gamble, this year's first-round pick, and rising star pitcher Kendry Chourio. Former first-rounder Blake Mitchell could be spared because the Cardinals are already loaded with catching prospects.

Even then, the Royals would have to kick in some more pieces. They don't have a competitive balance pick after the second round, which the Mariners included, and sending their Competitive Balance Round A pick, which is 30th overall, seems a bit steep for this scenario.

Then again, the Royals don't have an equivalent of Williamson, a 25-year-old who has work to do with the bat, but provides a super high floor with a fantastic glove at third base. So perhaps the Royals would have had to toss in that 30th overall pick and call it a day.

Arguably, the Royals then would have been giving up three of the five most valuable assets they had on the farm. Even for a stud contributor like Donovan, that move was fraught with risk and not at all guaranteed to get them into the top echelon of American League contenders.

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