Cardinals' most valuable trade piece a fit for virtually every team in the league

The GM Winter Meetings have concluded and, as usual, have created more rumors after rival clubs spent time having conversations with each other in close quarters. Coming out of the talks, the St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be one of the most popular teams as Chaim Bloom looks to make his mark during his first offseason in charge of the organization.

The reason for the Cardinals' popularity stems from the number of controllable major league bats, but none seem to hold more value than utilityman Brendan Donovan. In Derrick Goold's recap of the meetings, the writer mentioned how Donovan is valued by at least half the teams, with that number approaching "22 or more" based on Goold's talk with a source. While he notes that level of interest may be overstated, it is hard to argue against Donovan's fit on many rosters around the league, including the Royals and Guardians among others.

Brendan Donovan could be an option for any team looking to compete in 2026.

Since debuting in 2022, Donovan has won a utility Gold Glove award and was a finalist for this season's utility Silver Slugger, which went to teammate Alec Burleson. While he spent most of his time at second base this season, Donovan has experience playing every position except pitcher, catcher, and center field. Overall, the lefty has spent over 1,450 innings in the outfield and just over 2,000 innings on the dirt. His defense at any spot is passable, but he grades out best at the keystone.

Beyond his defense, the 28-year-old has become a quality major league hitter despite lacking the power numbers that the best bats in the bigs have. Even without the homers, has a career 117 WRC+ with a .282 batting average and has hit at least 32 doubles in each of the past two seasons. After a career-high 73 RBI in 2024, Donnie took a step back in his run production, as he spent much of the season hitting in the leadoff spot. He ended up taking at-bats in every spot in the order except cleanup and ninth this season, showing that beyond defensive versatility, his bat can slot anywhere in the lineup.

Donovan's flexibility is one of his best traits, along with his above-average walk and strikeout numbers. He is not completely missing power, hitting at least 10 homers in the last three years, but he profiles as a phenomenal supporting bat rather than the main run producer. This makes him a missing piece for many, maybe not 22, organizations across the league, driving up the return that the Cardinals can get in any deal for the utilityman. Beyond the Royals and Guardians, Donovan could be a fit for any team in the AL East, and every other AL team save for the White Sox and maybe the Athletics. In the NL, the Cardinals would probably shy away from dealing him within the division, while not being likely to receive offers from the Rockies.

While 22 teams being interested in Brendan Donovan seems like a stretch, it may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Whatever the number is, the amount of interest makes it more likely that Donovan will be playing the 2026 season in another uniform.