Would Jarren Duran or Brendan Donovan be the better trade fit for the Royals?

As the dust settles in the race to add an All-Star, the Royals find themselves locked in on two players that could instantly change the fortune of their season. Jarren Duran and Brendan Donovan have been discussed as realistic options to add to this team for months, and it's telling that we're still bringing them up heading into January.

While we know the Royals need at least one of those guys, could one of them actually fit the Royals better? Duran has been the sexy name on Royals' fans minds since the All-Star break last season, but Brendan Donovan presents an intriguing combination of hitting prowess and dependable production.

Duran presents a headache for the opposition because of his combination of speed and power. He's one of the few players in baseball who can flirt with a 20-20 season.

Donovan is a hitting machine and as steady a player as we have in the game. He's versatile enough to play Gold Glove defense in left field or at second base.

Which one will Picollo and the Royals ultimately go all in for?

Royals mulling decision between two All-Star players

Brendan Donovan enjoyed the best season of his career statistically in 2025, earning his first invite to the All-Star game. His name has been dangled in trade talks because of his versatility in the field, but also because the man flat-out rakes.

He finished his season with 42 extra-base hits (10 homers, 32 doubles) to just 67 strikeouts. He's 28 and has two Gold Gloves to his name.

On the other hand, you have Duran who is the classic Royals target: Great speed and athleticism with a good glove, but unlike typical Royals targets Duran has some serious pop.

So why are these guys still on their respective teams? For Boston and St Louis, Duran and Donovan are the most valuable trade chips they have.

It would be malpractice for the Red Sox and Cardinals to not squeeze every ounce of value out of two All-Star players who are still in their athletic prime and carry elite traits that can instantly upgrade a lineup.

Donovan will make $5.75M in 2026 and has one year of arbitration remaining before becoming a free agent in 2028. For a player of his caliber, his contract is extremely attractive and reasonable for any team to take on.

Duran provides similar cost-effectiveness, signing a one-year, $7.75M deal with the Boston Red Sox to avoid arbitration for a second straight season, which also includes a club option for 2026.

In order to see the true fit for the Royals, let's break them down tool-by-tool and take into consideration the Royals needs and lineup construction.

Hit tool: Brendan Donovan

There’s no debate, Brendan Donovan has the better bat. He’s one of the most consistent hitters in the game right now. A career .282/.361/.411 slash is something most MLB players would blush at.

He has a knack for connecting with the baseball with a level swing and elite eye at the plate. His LA Sweet Spot % is ranked in the 94th percentile, and he ranks in the 96th percentile in squared-up %.

He would fit seamlessly in a lineup with Vinnie Pasquantino, who sits in the 84th percentile in squared-up rate, and Maikel Garcia, who ranks in the 98th percentile in squared-up rate.

What Duran lacks in pure bat-to-ball skills, he makes up for in power. His .185 ISO in a “down year” is light years ahead of Donovan’s best year (.140 in 2024).

He also sports a higher BABIP than Donovan (.326 compared to .315), due to his elite speed that would pair tremendously with Bobby Witt Jr.

Still, as a pure hitter, it doesn’t get any better than Donovan.

Power: Jarren Duran

Duran gets the better of Donovan in this category. He has a 21-homer season; Donovan’s career high was 14, set in 2024.

Only Bobby Witt Jr hit more doubles in Major League Baseball than Jarren Duran.

Duran has the better ISO numbers, average exit velo, and bat speed numbers. While he only had 16 homers in 2025, he has a consistent career ISO of .185 and slugs .452 for his career, suggesting he can flirt with 20 home runs annually if he plays 150 games or more.

Donovan is no slouch with his stick. His 119 wRC+ beats Duran’s 111 wRC+. Donovan is more of a gap-to-gap hitter and plays with a more simplified approach at the plate.

He wants to “hit it where it’s pitched,” as the old saying goes. That leads to a high average, but less explosion and lower bat speed.

Glove: Brendan Donovan

Both these players have above-average gloves, but the edge goes to Donovan who is the owner of two Gold Gloves and plays two positions at an elite level: left field and second base. What makes him invaluable is that he plays all his positions well.

He was moved around the diamond for the Cardinals due to injuries and played short stop, third base, and right field. Despite not knowing what position he was going to play daily, he never let it affect him at the plate.

Of course, Donovan is not new to this, he's true to this, winning the utility man Gold Glove in 2022. His reads in left field are clean, and he has enough speed to recover if he gets a less-than-ideal jump. His actions at second are crisp and he's able to throw off platform when balls look like they may sneak into the outfield.

His arm is adequate, if not spectacular. He shows strong actions at second and can gun down would-be runners in the hole with his elite reads and reaction. He had two assists from left field in 152 innings.

Duran was a Gold Glove finalist in center field in 2024, but can also play left field. His defense is something he's worked hard to improve since his debut in 2021. His arm is a weapon creating 10 assists from the outfield ranking him in the 93rd percentile in arm value.

Duran had 10 OAA in 2024 which was 10th best in all of baseball, but his -4 OAA in 2025 was a disappointing development for him. The dip in OAA could be in part due to Duran switching to left field full-time in 2025, but he's historically provided strong RAA (Runs Above Average) and positive dWAR (defensive WAR) most notably in 2024 and 2025.

Speed: Jarren Duran

Brendan Donovan was not blessed with blazing speed, but he has enough speed to be a factor on the bases and on defense.

Duran's speed rivals Bobby Witt Jr's and it's a main reason why he's such an attractive player to trade for. His 29.1 ft/second ranks him in the 93rd percentile in baseball.

Donovan's 26.6 ft/second is technically considered below-average but not by much; MLB average is 27 ft/sec.

Plate Discipline: Brendan Donovan

Walking isn't something Donovan or Duran necessarily takes pride in; Duran has a 7.3% career walk rate, which is around league average, while Donovan has a 9.1% career rate, which is good but was at 8.2 last year.

While those numbers don't jump out at you and won't approach 80th or 90th percentile territory, those would be Royals Hall of Fame-worthy walk rates for this team.

Donovan makes up for his lack of walks by knocking the cover off the baseball. Who needs to walk when you square up the baseball as much as he does?

His Whiff rate (13.4%) and K-rate (13%) rank him inside the 90th percentile for both. What stands out when digging deeper through some of his advanced stats is his below-average Zone Swing % (MLB average is 67; Donovan was at 61.3), but his well-above-average Zone Contact % (MLB average is 82.5; he was at 91.3).

This tells you he is ultra-selective with the pitches he swings at until he finds his pitch. His 25% chase rate is also well above average making him a huge asset to a lineup looking for stability and dependability.

Duran is a different story as he has more swing and miss in his game, painted by his 31.1% chase rate and 29.3 whiff rate. His 8.3% walk rate was right around MLB average. Duran is a different hitter than Donovan, often selling out for power and taking more swings in the zone.

Royals Identity Fit: Brendan Donovan

The Royals have historically had low walk rates, and 2025 was no different. They were 29th in total walks and 29th in walk rate.

They've tried to correct that in recent years with the additions like Jonathan India and Mike Ystremszki, but their avoidance to walking has been a known organizational philosophy for years now.

Instead, they value putting the ball in play which has made them one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts.

Brendan Donovan would like to enter his name into the chat.

Donovan's game is predicated on patience and pitch recognition. His low Whiff and K-rate fits perfectly next to guys like Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia who also rarely swing and miss and refuse to punch out.

The Royals also value defensive versatility which is Donovan's middle name.

Duran fits what the Royals like to do on the basepaths. His speed would be an absolute weapon with Witt Jr and Garcia.

However, he's the opposite type of hitter than Donovan, not known for making as much quality contact. His K-%, Whiff, and Chase-% are all at or below the 30th percentile.

At the end of the day, it all depends on what the Royals value more. Do they want more power and speed to pair with Witt, or do they go with super-contact ability and defensive versatility?

The answer could be coming sooner than we think.