Brendan Donovan seen working out with a star of a potential trade team

Trade talks surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals have already been prevalent this offseason. The club has already made one major move in trading away starting pitcher and resident ace Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox. Several other players have also been rumored to be trade candidates including Nolan Arenado, JoJo Romero, Nolan Gorman, and Lars Nootbaar.

Perhaps the player who has received the most trade interest this offseason, however, has been Brendan Donovan.

Upwards of 15 teams have contacted the Cardinals regarding Donovan's availability. Any team could benefit from adding Brendan Donovan to their roster. Donovan, 28, has a career .282/.361/.411 slash line for a 117 OPS+. He's not a free agent until after the 2027 season, and he can capably play second base, corner outfield, and third base. He could even log some innings at shortstop in a pinch. Donovan's propensity to get on base while also flexing his power on occasion has made him a versatile player.

Teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Guardians would benefit greatly from acquiring Brendan Donovan. There is one team, however, that could be quite interested in the utility player's services: the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals are in desperate need of help in their lineup and at the positions Donovan plays. In 2025, Royals corner outfielders ranked dead last in bWAR. Royals' second basemen finished only marginally better, finishing 23rd in bWAR across all of baseball.

Donovan's versatility would be a welcome addition to a lineup that already includes superstar Bobby Witt Jr. and slugging first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. Oh, and speaking of Vinnie Pasquantino...

St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan was working out with Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals.

It's not uncommon for players to work out with each other in the offseason. Training Meccas like Driveline, Tread, and Cressey Sports attract players of all levels and talent tiers. Baseball players are often friendly to each other off the field, and these friendships are ones that are often built over time.

It still isn't comforting to see a fan-favorite player like Brendan Donovan spending time with the enemy, especially one that has been rumored to be interested in his services.

Kansas City Royals' first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino recently posted a picture on his Instagram showing Brendan Donovan in the batting cages with him. The location wasn't revealed in the photo. Vinnie, a native of Virginia, has been spending time this offseason back in his hometown.

Both Brendan Donovan and Vinnie Pasquantino played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League, albeit in different years — Donovan in 2017 and Pasquantino in 2018.

As a player still in arbitration, Donovan doesn't have much of a say in where he's traded this offseason, if he's traded at all. However, he could still voice his feelings on the situation to president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom. Bloom could in turn seek locations that Donovan, a Cardinal since being drafted in 2018, would be interested in going. A move across the state wouldn't be an overly daunting task for the first-time All-Star.

Brendan Donovan is receiving plenty of interest from rival teams this winter. He already knows Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals well, and he could find himself being traded just 220 miles west this winter.