5 potential trade locations for St. Louis Cardinals Brendan Donovan

As the St. Louis Cardinals enter a period of development and internal development, the need for prospects and long-term players is growing. This has led to ample speculation that the Cardinals will be active players in the trade market during the Hot Stove season.

The Cardinals have several players who could be appealing to other teams including Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Alec Burleson. Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, and Alec Burleson will also receive interest. However, the most appealing trade chip that the Cardinals have this winter may be their lone All-Star from this past year: Brendan Donovan.

Brendan Donovan has consistently produced since making it to the majors. He has a career .282/.361/.411 slash line for a 117 OPS+. He's been able to hit for power at times during his career, and his on-base percentage ranks in the top 15 of all qualified hitters since 2022.

Donovan won a Gold Glove at the utility position in 2022, and he was an All-Star last year. Donnie is projected to receive around $6 million in arbitration this year. Oh, and he's under team control through the 2027 season. The list of teams wanting Donovan's services would be lengthy.

If the Cardinals want to jumpstart their return to glory, trading Brendan Donovan at peak value would be a great way to bring in high-end prospects to beef up an improving farm system. Should St. Louis trade Donovan, Chaim Bloom could net at least one top-100 prospect and a couple of other players near MLB-ready.

Seeing Brendan Donovan go would be difficult to swallow, as he's become a fan favorite over the years. However, trading him may be a necessary move to help fix the Cardinals' organizational woes.

The list of teams looking to add an All-Star utility man with above-average offensive production before he turns 30 won't be short. Therefore, the bidding war for Brendan Donovan could get hot, only increasing the return the Cardinals could get for him. While several teams will inquire, only a few teams feel like true fits.

These 5 teams look like excellent matches for a Brendan Donovan trade.

Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have already been mentioned as an ideal candidate to land Brendan Donovan. Their production from the second base and corner outfield positions was well below average last year, and they've been desperate for offensive help for several years.

Inserting Brendan Donovan into a lineup that features Jose Ramirez and slugger Kyle Manzardo would do a lot to help out a starving Cleveland offense.

The Guardians have been known as a pitching powerhouse for well over a decade now. The Cardinals could ask for MLB-ready prospects should they strike a deal with the Guardians. Rob Cerfolio, the current Director of Pitching for St. Louis, is more than familiar with Cleveland's farm system, as he was once the farm director for the Guardians before coming to St. Louis.

The Guardians and Cardinals seem like a perfect pairing for a Brendan Donovan trade. The Guardians need help offensively at the positions that Brendan Donovan thrives in, and the Cardinals could use prospect pitchers, something Cleveland has produced in spades for several years now.