Former Twins right-hander Randy Dobnak is on the move again. The Seattle Mariners are trading the 31-year-old to the Kansas City Royals after he exercised an upward-mobility clause in his contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. He will be added to the Royals' 40-man roster, starting at Triple-A Omaha.
Dobnak is a bit of a cult hero among Twins fans, starting a game in the 2019 ALDS as a rookie against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium after posting a 1.59 ERA in 28 1/3 innings across nine appearances (five starts). The game didn't go well for Dobnak, as he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks in two innings en route to suffering the loss, but it was still a great story for a rookie who had been working as an Uber driver not too long before.
To add to Dobnak's fame among Twins fans, the right-hander signed an interesting contract extension after posting a 4.05 ERA in 46 2/3 innings during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season; in March 2021, Dobnak signed a five-year, $9.25 million contract with the Twins despite being a low-strikeout pitcher throughout his MLB career to that point. Unfortunately, the contract didn't work out for Minnesota.
After signing the deal with the Twins, Dobnak posted an awful 7.64 ERA over 50 2/3 innings in 2021, then didn't pitch in the majors again until 2024, where he allowed six runs on 11 hits and five walks in 9 2/3 innings across five appearances. His last MLB outing was with Minnesota in 2025, where he allowed just one run on two hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.
Royals are Dobnak's third organization since Twins traded him last summer
In a salary-dump move, the Twins sent Dobnak to the Detroit Tigers last July as part of the Chris Paddack trade that got Minnesota promising catching prospect Enrique Jimenez. Dobnak had a $6 million club option for 2026, which the Tigers expectedly declined and paid the right-hander a $1 million buyout.
After Detroit bought out his contract, Dobnak signed a minor-league deal with Seattle last November. In 70 innings across 13 starts with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate this season, Dobnak posted a 4.24 ERA with a 12.8% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate.
The Royals likely view Dobnak as a depth piece, not someone who will join the big-league pitching staff and stick there. Kansas City is currently tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the worst record in the American League (30-45), so Dobnak likely has a good chance to pitch some major-league innings for the squad if/when the team later decides it has no chance to reach the postseason this year.
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