MLB Rumors: Royals Out of Trade Talks for Two Coveted Players

January 19, 2026 , ,
Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quartraro walks to the mound during 2025 game.

The Kansas City Royals spent a good chunk of the winter sniffing around two of the better offensive fits on the market, but that chase is cooling fast. 

Insider Ken Rosenthal reported the Royals are “increasingly unlikely” to land either Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran or St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan, which pretty much indicates Kansas City is getting priced out, pivoting, or both.

Why Duran and Donovan felt like the perfect lineup fixes

It's easy to see why Kansas City kept circling these names. 

Duran gives you real outfield juice, and he backed it up in 2025 with a .256 average, 16 home runs, 84 RBI, and 24 steals across 157 games, plus he led the American League in triples for the second straight year with 13. 

Donovan is a different kind of solve, but just as clean: a high contact, multi-position piece who was an All Star in 2025 and brings Gold Glove level defense to the mix. 

He hit .287/.353/.422 with 10 homers and was worth about 2.9 WAR in 2025, the sort of glue guy that deepens a roster immediately.

What it means for the Royals if the door is actually closed

If Duran and Donovan are effectively off the board, the Royals are left trying to squeeze improvement from a spot that cratered last season. 

Kansas City’s outfield group produced a 73 wRC+, the worst mark in baseball, which is why the idea of importing an impact bat felt so urgent. 

The Royals have already added Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas, and they are still betting on internal steps from the rest of the mix, but if the big trade swing is gone, the next move likely has to come via a cheaper trade target or a late free agent value play rather than the kind of headline deal fans were hoping would land in Kansas City.

Photo Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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