Royals unexpectedly do the Mariners a huge favor with shocking transaction

Kansas City's newest move may have inadvertently given Seattle a major leg up in the final days before the trade deadline.

Kansas City Royals v Seattle Mariners | Alika Jenner/GettyImagesAs 29 other MLB teams have immersed themselves in trade negotiations, the Kansas City Royals seem to have slightly different priorities.

To their credit, they did make moves to acquire Adam Frazier and more recently acquired Randal Grichuk. But neither transaction will likely move the needle this year, especially since both players will be rentals (Grichuk has a $5 million mutual option for 2026) and the Royals are sitting at just an 8.8 percent chance to make the postseason for FanGraphs.

Instead, it seems…