Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Insider Again Links Royals To Cardinals All-Star

Originally posted on Kansas City Royals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 11:31 AM ET

The Kansas City Royals have had a productive offseason. They landed Isaac Collins and Nick Mears in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers and signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year contract.

They may not be done just yet. They still need to add one more bat to their mix, preferably one that can play in the outfield. Kansas City could do this in a trade or via free agency.

They have shown interest in St. Louis Cardinals star Brendan Donovan for much of the offseason, and according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, they still have interest.

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Will Donovan Be Moved?

Goold notes that the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners have also continued to show “some level of interest” in the 2025 All-Star. Earlier in the offseason, Katie Woo of The Athletic had reported that Seattle and San Francisco had emerged as the frontrunners for Donovan.

The Royals have a lot of pitching depth, and a lot of young and controllable arms. St. Louis won’t want Kris Bubic, as he is entering the final year of his contract, so it wouldn’t make sense for the rebuilding Cardinals to try and acquire him.

The Royals do have Noah Cameron in their rotation, who posted a 2.99 ERA in his rookie campaign and was the de-facto ace when Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo were out dealing with injuries.

That may be an arm of interest to the Cardinals. The Royals also have a lot of pitching prospects, including David Shields, Bud Kudrna, Steven Zobac and Mason Black. Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert also have a few years of club control.

If the Royals acquire Donovan, they can use him as an upgrade at second base over Jonathan India, or they could put him in the outfield. Donovan won the Utility Gold Glove in 2022, his rookie season, so there are options if the Royals do end up trading for him.

But it will be interesting to see if the Royals can meet the Cardinals’ asking price, which is said to be quite high. If they can’t, then Donovan may ultimately end up staying in St. Louis, forcing the Royals to look elsewhere for a proven bat to boost their lineup for 2026.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Royals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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