Cardinals are in talks with key member of young core on a multi-year extension

If you need any more evidence that the St. Louis Cardinals view Brendan Donovan as a major part of their core moving forward, their strong interest in keeping him around long-term should do it.

According to multiple reports this morning, the Cardinals are exploring a multi-year extension with utility man Brendan Donovan before today's deadline to reach agreements with arbitration-eligible players before having to exchange numbers before an eventual hearing. While a multi-year deal may not happen today, it's something both sides hope materializes in the near future.

The Cardinals are also reportedly interested in locking up Lars Nootbaar, the two sides appear less likely to make a long-term deal happen before the season.

Donovan. since debuting in 2022, has been one of the Cardinals' best players and emerged last offseason as a key leader in the clubhouse. At Winter Warm-Up last year, multiple coaches, front office members, and players raved about the impact Donovan was having on the team and coupled with his value on the field, it became apparent that St. Louis was going to want to keep him around for a long-time.

I did a deep dive on the site looking into what a potential long-term deal with Donovan could look like, and it seems to be lining up with some of the initial speculation being thrown out there.

In 374 games with the Cardinals in his career, Donovan has posted a 7.4 fWAR and 119 wRC+, playing great defense at a variety of positions while providing the Cardinals with nearly 20% above league-average offensive production. Almost 28 years old, Donovan is likely entering the prime of his career, and it makes sense to get a multi-year deal done now rather than later.

If the Cardinals let Donovan ride out his controllable years, he would be going on 31 years old when he hits free agency in 2028, and with the widespread interest in acquiring him around the league, it would be tough to get him at a "good price". If the Cardinals are able to buy out his arbitration years and first few years of free agency, then the Cardinals would not have to worry about another deal until his mid-30s, hopefully avoiding bad money as well as not having had to lock in those later years like they would if he hit free agency.

For context, just a year after signing an extension with the Cardinals to buy out his arbitration years, Tommy Edman signed a five-year, $74 million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers. I expect Donovan's number to be a bit less than that, but that just goes to show you what the market is willing to pay for versatile guys like Edman and Donovan. While Edman may have the defensive value edge with what he can do at shortstop and in center field, Donovan's bat carries a lot more value.

In an offseason that has not seen much movement from St. Louis, it's exciting news to finally have someone like Donovan potentially getting a long-term deal to remain with the club.

We'll be updating the situation on the site as more information comes our way, as well as the status of other arbitration-eligible Cardinals such as Nootbaar, Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and John King.