5 Brendan Donovan trade packages that Cardinals fans would actually accept

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks' relationship with Ketel Marte has soured big time over the last few months, and it seems like there is a good chance he could be on the move this winter if the right offer comes their way. Even if they don't trade Marte, Donovan could be a really good fit for Arizona, but if they do trade Marte, he becomes an excellent fit.

The Diamondbacks have a lot of talent in their organization and want to compete with the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants in the National League West. Right now, outside of the top five hitters in their starting lineup, things are very bleak for the Diamondbacks offensively, with left field, third base, and DH being three of those problem areas. Well, Donovan can certainly help at any of those spots, along with second base.

For the Cardinals, they would need Arizona to be willing to part with some young pitching to swing this, and that's where I'd be very curious to see what Arizona would be willing to do. Cristian Mena, whom I have as the centerpiece of this deal, would be a very intriguing fit for me and someone the Cardinals would be wise to take a long look at.

Mena has very limited big league experience to this point, and so honestly, this would be a really big risk if the Cardinals went this direction with him as the headliner. Mena is just 22 years old and has already reached the big leagues, and has been a guy who can get a lot of strikeouts for a long time. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, and he has an effective cutter that he uses primarily against left-handed hitters. His offspeed stuff needs to continue to improve, but he really does have a ton of potential.

Patrick Forbes is another big arm in their system with loud stuff, but his limited arsenal of pitches and lack of control are holding him back so far. Ranked as the Diamondbacks' seventh-best prospect according to Baseball America's 2026 rankings, Forbes has a 70-grade fastball that lives in the mid to upper 90s but gets into the triple digits with ride and run, making it a nasty pitch that can get him pretty far. His sweeper is a plus-plus pitch that tunnels well with that fastball, and Arizona has been working with him to develop a few more pitches to help him be an effective starter.

Best-case scenario, Forbes can be a dude in a rotation. A really good scenario would be a middle-of-the-rotation starter. But even if those things don't pan out, he has the stuff to be a really impactful bullpen piece, and I'd love this kind of swing by Bloom if he decided to make it. Getting insanely talented arms into the system for Matt Pierpont and his team to work with is of the utmost importance right now.