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As the calendar year changes to 2026, most teams in baseball still have an incomplete offseason. Over half of the major free agents are still unsigned, the Yankees have yet to add a single significant player, and many other teams have yet to make the big move that could put them over the top. While the Royals have done a good job improving at the margins by adding Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas, Nick Mears, and Matt Strahm, they have yet to make an impact move that can move the needle on their playoff chances.
They have been connected with a number of impact trade candidates, but teams have been unwilling to pull the trigger so far. Where do things stand with some players the Royals could be interested in, and how do recent moves impact those trade talks?
Jarren Duran
The Royals have been linked to Boston All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran all offseason. The 2024 All-Star saw his numbers dip a bit in 2025, but he remains an above-average bat with power and speed who can cover ground in centerfield, although his defense can be inconsistent at times.
The emergence of rookie Roman Anthony has given Boston a very crowded outfield with Gold Glove centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela and Gold Glove rightfielder Wilyer Abreu. Masataka Yoshida will likely get most of the at-bats at DH, and Boston complicated the lineup even more by acquiring Willson Contreras to play first base, likely making Triston Casas expendable.
Ken Rosenthal wrote at The Athletic on December 15 about the trade talks between the two teams.
“The Royals are under the impression Duran would cost them left-hander Cole Ragans, though the Red Sox view the initial talks as more informal and exploratory, according to people briefed on the conversations.”
Both Duran and Ragans have three more years of club control, through the 2028 season. Pitching is more of a premium than hitting, but Duran has been more valuable and durable than Ragans.
Boston is looking for high-upside pitching to improve their rotation. They acquired pitcher Sonny Gray from the Cardinals to pair with ace Garrett Crochet, but he likely doesn’t have high upside at age 36. One executive says Boston has “quietly shopped” pitcher Brayan Bello, who Boston signed to a long-term deal in 2024.
Both teams have postured as if they don’t need to make a trade. At the Winter Meetings, J.J. Picollo told Anne Rogers “It would be really difficult for us to trade Cole,” adding, “We’re in a really good spot [with depth], so if the right trade comes along, and it costs us a starting pitcher, we have to look at it. It’s just not going to be Cole.” The Royals have been much more open to trading Kris Bubic, who has one more year before he hits free agency. But his limited club control and his injury last season makes him a much less attractive return.
Red Sox head man Craig Breslow echoed similar reservations at the Winter Meetings, telling reporters that the team would have to listen to trade talks for their outfielders, but “the bar we’re going to hold is really high, because each of those guys is capable of contributing multiple wins to our team.” He insists the team can find a way to get playing time for four outfielders in three outfield spots.
Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan have predicted Duran has a 50 percent chance of being traded, writing that “the Red Sox are valuing Duran more like the seven-win player of 2024 than his 4-win version in 2025. Either way, his addition can instantaneously make a team better, and Boston can hold out for a big return because the Red Sox don’t have to deal him. At some point, though, the Red Sox will have to move Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Keeping full-time-quality players for less than full-time roles rarely works out well.“
The Royals and Red Sox seem to be engaged in a game of chicken at this point, with neither team willing to blink yet. The teams appear to be a good match for a trade – the Red Sox have the outfielders the Royals need, the Royals have the pitching the Red Sox need. But they seem to differ on the presumed value of their respective players. The Red Sox see Duran as an 8-9 WAR player like he was in 2024, while the Royals see him as a player who declined last year. The Royals see Cole Ragans as a potential ace, while the Red Sox see a pitcher coming off an injury-filled season who has twice had Tommy John surgery.
Brendan Donovan
The Royals thought Jonathan India could be a high-on-base-hitter who could play second base and left field for them. He fell far short of that expectation, but the profile describes Brendan Donovan perfectly. A left-handed bat who can play both infield and outfield, Donovan is a very versatile hitter with a career .361 on-base percentage who was named an All-Star for the first time last year.
The 28-year-old has two more years of club control, but the Cardinals are undergoing a rebuild with new boss Chaim Bloom looking to make his stamp on the team. Derrick Goold at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Royals are one of a number of teams interested in Donovan, and that the Cardinals have shown interest in Royals rookie pitcher Noah Cameron. Katie Woo at The Athletic has written that the Giants and Mariners are the frontrunners to get Donovan, with the Cardinals asking about Mariners top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and top 100 outfield prospect Lazaro Montes.
The Cardinals have already unloaded Gray and Contreras – both to the Red Sox, a team Bloom is very familiar with after serving as GM in Boston. Trading Donovan makes sense, but he’s only 28 and if Bloom sees a quick rebuild, conceivably Donovan could be a part of that. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt seems likely to take over second base soon, but Donovan could transition to the outfield, although that may require them to trade Lars Nootbaar instead.
Still, a trade of Donovan seems most likely. Gleyber Torres opted to take a Qualifying Offer, and Jorge Polanco signed with the Mets, leaving Luis Rengifo and Willi Castro among the few free agent options at second base. Marcus Semien was traded to the Mets, while Brandon Lowe was sent to the Pirates, leaving a second base trade market that could include Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth and potentially Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. For teams looking for a second baseman, Donovan appears to be the best option.
Complicating matters a bit for the Royals was the decision to re-sign second baseman Jonathan India to an $8 million contract for 2026, a decision “that surprised many in the industry” according to Ken Rosenthal. He reported that the Royals see India as a comeback candidate that will only play second base next year. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t pursue Donovan as an outfielder, but they seem less likely to acquire such a player after getting Isaac Collins, a versatile player who can get on base, in a trade from the Brewers.
Ketel Marte
Marte is one of the more underrated players in baseball. Over the last three years the Diamondbacks seocnd baseman has been worth a combined 15.3 rWAR – 13th-most among all position players. He’s an All-Star who hits for average and power, plays solid defense, and can impact a lineup. He has a large, but fairly reasonable contract going forward that will pay him $102.5 million over the next six years.
But Marte is already 32 years old, and the last few years of that deal could look bad if he declines as most players do in their late 30s. Marte has also reportedly rubbed some teammates the wrong way for absences during the season. He does have a very limited no-trade clause that reportedly includes the Athletics, Cardinals, Giants, Pirates, and Yankees, although he can always waive the clause in the right circumstance.
In trade talks, Arizona’s asking price has been very high, with the Diamondbacks reportedly “asking for an established, well-regarded starting pitcher plus multiple other pieces in discussions.” This offseason they have signed free agent pitcher Mike Soroka and brought back pitcher Merrill Kelly, which may reduce their need for starting pitching.
Boston has been said to be very interested, and may have expendable assets with infielder Kristian Campbell, first baseman Triston Casas, and pitchers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early as possible trade candidates. There is even the possibility Arizona could be interested in Duran. The Blue Jays, Rays, Mariners, Giants, Phillies, and Pirates have all been linked to Marte as well, although Pittsburgh seemed to address second base with the acquisition of Lowe.
Marte seems like a less-likely option to be acquired by the Royals than Duran or Donovan. His contract is reasonable, but a small-market team like the Royals is unlikely to take on the financial risk of acquiring a player making that kind of money into his twilight years. Maybe there is the potential of some sort of three-team trade with Boston and Arizona involving Marte and Duran, but that requires a lot of moving parts that need to be resolved.