Cardinals close to trading 2025 All-Star Brendan Donovan

According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the St. Louis Cardinals are close to moving All-Star utility man Brendan Donovan in a deal with the Seattle Mariners that could also involve the Tampa Bay Rays in a potential three-team trade. 

The Mariners have been lurking in Donovan’s market the entire offseason, especially since the departure of their 2025 second baseman, Jorge Polanco. The market for St. Louis’ lone All-Star in 2025 has been murky to say the least. Newly appointed President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom, has been rather resistant to lowering the asking price for good reason. 

Donovan, 29, is coming off a career year in 2025, where he slashed .287/.353/.422 and exerted flashes of sneaky power against right-handed pitching. The versatility Donovan brings to any team he’s on, paired with his above-average bat, is, suffice to say, hard to come by. 

Another team that had been in talks with St. Louis to potentially strike a deal on Donovan was the San Francisco Giants. Recently, the Giants inked former batting champion Luis Arraez to a one-year deal, and it looks like they plan on installing him as a second baseman. Since this addition, Seattle has emerged as a clear frontrunner, and a deal could come through at any moment. 

Moving on from Donovan is just the most recent chapter in a saga of big-time sell-off moves by the Redbirds. Although it’s a deep cut to Cardinal fans, and understandably so, think of this move in the context that it will retain prospect capital at peak value, and allow for rising star JJ Wetherholt to make his debut on opening day in 2026. The Cardinals have the opportunity to trade Donovan for prospects, and Wetherholt's playing time? This move seems like a no-brainer, and if it goes through, the return should be exciting.