Chaim Bloom is unsure of what Brendan Donovan's future looks like with the Cardinals

Chaim Bloom is expected to make a lot of changes to the St. Louis Cardinals roster this offseason, but who exactly is shipped out in the flurry of moves is yet to be determined.

Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray seem likely to be on the move, and Willson Contreras could join them, should he be so enticed by another team. Each of those players has no trade clauses that allow them to dictate the terms of their future. Bloom, on the other hand, will have full control over what he decides to do with everyone else on the Cardinals’ roster.

One of the names that Cardinals fans are eager to learn the fate of is their lone All-Star representative from this year, Brendan Donovan. Since debuting with the club in 2022, Donovan has emerged as a key piece of the Cardinals’ core, not only on the field but also in the clubhouse.

The Cardinals are in a really weird spot with Donovan because of the timing of their rebuild. I hold the opinion that Donovan is a great piece to have around for this rebuild, someone worth extending and leading the next generation of Cardinals talent into their next window of contention. Others believe that with Donovan turning 29 before the 2026 season and having just two years of club control remaining, now would be the time to maximize his trade value and get back assets to fit their window of contention.

Bloom was asked by reporters following his press conference about Donovan’s future with the organization and whether a contract extension was in the cards. “He and I have had a few conversations about that,” Bloom said. “I don’t know where it’s going to go yet. I’m being candid, obviously. This is true with just about any player. This is the type of guy (who) the more people and players like him we have in our clubhouse, the better off we’ll be.”

Chaim Bloom is non-committal about Brendan Donovan’s future with the Cardinals

No one expected Bloom to confirm one way or the other regarding Donovan’s future, and I think his posture regarding Donovan was genuine. I fully expect the Cardinals to explore what a potential extension would look like while also entertaining offers from other teams. It’s the right thing to do considering the position they are in.

If you ask me, though, assuming there isn’t some incredible offer out there to be had, I think the best thing to do is to come to a long-term agreement with Donovan. Frankly, I think it’s a big mistake that they didn’t do that last offseason. Donovan’s trajectory has been clear for quite some time now, and 2025 was evidence of that. Had he not played through turf toe most of the summer, his numbers would have easily been the best of his career.

The Cardinals are not preparing for a rebuild resembling that of the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, or other organizations that tore their entire roster down and rebuilt from scratch. The Cardinals want to remain competitive as they get back to being a true contender. Their farm system isn’t where they want it to be, but it’s not barren either. It’s taken strides in the right direction already, and the Cardinals’ new player development group seems to be turning all of the right dials. It’s going to take years before they are a true World Series contender, but it shouldn’t take that long to be competitive again. Having Donovan around helps them play meaningful baseball earlier in this process, all while learning from their stud utility man what it looks like to win and have winning habits.

When the Cardinals' young core is ready to take that step toward meaningful contention, Donovan may not be at the peak of his powers, but I have a hard time believing he won’t still be an impactful piece for the organization on the field as well as off the field.

Bloom has already discussed that he’s not here to simply run the Tampa Bay Rays playbook. He understands that St. Louis is one of the premier franchises in the sport, and the market size allows him to invest in the club in a way that you just can’t in Tampa. Bill DeWitt Jr. knows the importance of having stars and franchise favorites stick around. It doesn’t mean they hold onto every player or don’t have to make some hard decisions, but they also don’t have to flip their best players for prospects when free agency approaches every time.