3 pivoting moves Royals can realistically make after Mariners steal Brendan Donovan

With just under three weeks remaining until spring training action getting underway, the baseball world finally got one of the speculated blockbuster trades many had been long awaiting for.

In a massive three team trade between the Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays, All-Star utility man Brendan Donovan is on his way to the Pacific Northwest to suit up for the Mariners.

Now, as Kansas City Royals fans are well aware by now, Donovan was one of their rumored top trade targets throughout the offseason. The realism of such a trade occurring between the I-70 rivals may've died down in recent weeks, but that didn't stop Royals fans from dreaming of landing a perfect fit like Donovan.

Some might think, the only way to make up for missing out on him would be to pivot to Boston and try to acquire their other top trade target in Jarren Duran.

However, with the Cardinals landing quite the haul for Donovan, including a Top 100 prospect in Jurrangelo Cijntje and a former first-round pick in Tai Peete, if the Royals had an issue with the Red Sox asking price before, the odds are Boston could very well be seeking more, or at least holding firm on their price, now that they have a recent deal to compare it to.

So, how do the Royals pivot if there's still work to be done this winter?

Here are three realistic ways they could do so in light of the Donovan deal to Seattle:

3 realistic pivots Royals can make after Mariners steal Brendan Donovan

Trade for Yankees youngster Jasson Domínguez

Given their lasting interest in top starting pitching targets like Freddy Peralta this offseason, plus a recent report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees seem keen on adding to their rotation for the 2026 season.

This is understandable given the continued recovery of their ace Gerrit Cole from Tommy John surgery, as well as lengthy recoveries for both Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt.

Thankfully for the Royals, they have no shortage impactful starting pitching to offer the Yankees and New York happens to have a promising outfielder in Jasson Domínguez who, as it currently stands, might have diffculty finding consistent at-bats in this lineup.

After bursting onto the scene in an electrifying eight-game cameo in 2023 before his season was cut short due to injury, Domínguez has yet to really live up to his massive prospect potential.

In limited run in 2024, he only mustered an 86 wRC+ in 18 games and then in his first full season in the Bronx last year, he was simply average looking. In 123 games, he sported a .257/.331/.388 slash line with 10 HR, 47 RBI, 23 SB and a 103 wRC+, resulting in just a 0.6 fWAR.

And with an outfield unit featuring Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham, Domínguez seems poised to play second-fiddle and accept ABs where he can, which for someone who rose through the minor league ranks like he did seems like a waste of talent.

This is where the Royals could step in and provide a change scenery. They certainly have the space to give him regular corner outfield ABs and a speedy switch-hitter with 85th percentile hard-hit abilities and above-average walk rates could address plenty of pressing offensive needs in Kansas City.

And the Royals certainly have a desirable name to offer the Yanks in return in All-Star Kris Bubic, who would scratch their urge for a strong middle of the rotation name to compliment Max Fried and wouldn't cause a long-term logjam for the Yankees when their staff is fully healthy, as he's entering his final year of team control.

Call the Houston Astros about one of their bats

The Royals could also use the Donovan trade to their advantage and call another potential suitor who missed out on him and try to strike a deal.

The Houston Astros had been linked to Donovan at various times, and as FanSided's Zachary Rotman put it, "losing out on Donovan to a division rival is a pretty brutal look".

Rotman also mentioned that Houston's poor farm system could have played a factor in their pursuit of Donovan, as it would've been hard for them to compete with the prospect return the Cards ended up receiving for him.

This where the Royals could come in. As a fellow postseason hopeful, they're not exactly looking for a prospect haul and the Astros could stand to address their starting staff.

Beyond Hunter Brown, the likely loss of current free agent Framber Valdez will loom large, as the oft-injured Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers, as well as the unproven NPB signing in Tatsuya Imai, are currently slated to be Brown's complementary rotation mates.

Adding someone like Bubic, or too a lesser extent Ryan Bergert, could be enticing to Houston to help deepen their rotation.

And the Astros happen to have a bit of a confusing surplus of bats that could be appealing to Kansas City.

Jake Meyers is the obvious first name that comes to mind, having been rumored to be on the block already this winter.

While he may be a center fielder by nature, the Royals could stand to add outfield help in general, and a defensively savvy, double-digit stolen base threat coming off a 107 wRC+ season would be a strong piece to add to bolster this outfield unit even further after the Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas acquisitions.

And if we want to get real crazy, given that Carlos Correa is back and Christian Walker still remains at first, suddenly the corner infield spots are covered and Isaac Paredes may not have a regular starting home any longer in the Space City.

While the Royals don't need a corner infielder with Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia occupying first and third respectively, Paredes does have some limited big league experience up the middle at second base. And, if put you thinking caps on here, he wouldn't be the first corner infielder to transition to the corner outfield in their career.

Stick with the budget-friendly status quo and sign Miguel Andujar

Lastly, theres' the ultra-realistic and safe route that wouldn't cost the Royals any current pieces in their organization, simply opening the cheque book.

If the Royals were truly enamored by the versatility of Donovan, while he doesn't play exactly the same positions that Donovan plays, Miguel Andujar is an option that can move around the diamond somewhat.

With big league experience in the corner infield and outfield in his career, Andjuar at least checks one area of need for the Royals.

And given his inconsistencies in his big league career, he could come to the Royals at a cheap short-term price, which seems to be their M.O. when it comes to signing bats on the free agent market.

On top of that, Andujar's coming off a season split between the Athletics and the Cincinnati Reds that was his most productive since his AL Rookie of the Year runner-up campaign back in 2018. In 341 plate appearances across 91 games, he slashed .318/.352/.470 with 10 HR, 44 RBI, just a 14.4% K-rate and a 125 wRC+.

It may not have the punch that one of the trade opportunities mentioned earlier might have, but it would certainly appear to be an advantageous low-risk gamble on a one-year deal.