Royals feeling painful offseason trade reality as top target thrives with Mariners

The Kansas City Royals haven't gotten off to an ideal start this season, dropping their opening series to the Atlanta Braves in frustrating fashion.

One of the reasons that made their weekend particularly infuriating was the fact their offense only combined for six runs in three games - placing them only above the San Francisco Giants in terms of runs per game in the early stages of the new season.

For the Royals faithful, it's not overly shocking to see that the lineup continues to be an issue given how much of a need there was for upgrades to the lineup entering the offseason. While they did improve their standing at the plate overall, their upgrades were more on the marginal side.

What many were clamoring for, whether it be fans or experts in the media, was a big splash, with several names being linked to Kansas City throughout the winter months, including now Seattle Mariners utility man Brendan Donovan.

And after how good Donovan looked in his first series with Seattle, it's hard for Royals fans not to wonder what could've been had they landed him.

Former Royals top trade target Brendan Donovan is seamlessly fitting in with Mariners

In his first four games in the Pacific Northwest, Donovan looks every bit worth the investment from Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto an Co.

In 18 plate appearances, Donovan is slashing .429/.556/.929 with two homers, four RBI and a 304 wRC+. And in the early going, his 0.5 fWAR trails only the great Mike Trout and his 0.6 fWAR for the highest mark in baseball.

Donovan was a desired target among the Royals faithful this winter considering how he could simultaneously address the Royals offensive needs at both second base and in the outfield in an All-Star and award-winning manner.

And with Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone being the only two Royals with 5+ plate appearances so far this season to hold an above-average wRC+ total, Donovan's weekend performance would've made a huge difference.

On top of that, the fact that multiple Royals names in which Donovan could've potentially occupied spots over underperformed this weekend only adds to the sting of missing out on him.

To make matters even worse, second baseman Michael Massey remains on the injured list to start the year and there doesn't appear to be a clear timetable on when he might return.

Now, it's not time to overreact quite yet about either Kansas City's offense or Donovan's early performance. It's only been one series after all. The Royals offense has still yet to play at home and Donovan is on a pace that is all but impossible to keep up for a full season.

However, Donovan passed his first test with flying colors and the Royals are already playing catch-up with one of the worst statistical offenses in baseball this season.