Chaim Bloom's old friend reportedly lurking again to swing blockbuster with Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have gone hot and cold on the trade market, making a quick splash deal involving expensive veteran Sonny Gray before going quiet for a month until their next deal. The December trade of first baseman Willson Contreras was more of a surprise to me than it should have been, and now Chaim Bloom has dealt two of the harder-to-trade pieces from the roster.

Still remaining on the roster are the two players I saw as most likely to be traded in utility man Brendan Donovan and third baseman Nolan Arenado. The trade market seems to view Donovan, who has a utility Gold Glove thanks to his work at multiple positions, as a primary second baseman, and Arenado may be no more than a supplemental piece for a mostly finished roster. In Donovan's case, he can fit for pretty much any team in the league and has been specifically mentioned to the Mariners, Giants, and Royals, but now another familiar suitor has entered the conversation.

The Red Sox are reportedly targeting Brendan Donovan in another offseason trade with the Cardinals.

While Chaim Bloom has made two trades with Boston, his former employer, this was more out of fit and coincidence than anything else. In both deals, Bloom has received five different pitching prospects with varying backgrounds, ranging from capable MLB arms to risky A-ball lottery tickets, so the next trade with the Red Sox should now look at the available bats as the Cardinals look to replenish their talent on both sides of the ball. The Red Sox are firmly in their contention window and are looking for a veteran presence to lead their young offense, and they are apparently extending their reach to St. Louis once again for Donovan's services.

It is important to note that Donnie is not the only infielder that Boston is checking on, as they have also been connected to high-dollar free agents Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette, as well as trade targets third baseman Yandy Diaz and second baseman Ketel Marte. If the cost in both dollars and prospects gets too high for any of these four names, Donovan could easily be a quality consolation prize for the Red Sox. Even after Bloom has raided the Boston farm system, they still have three top-100 prospects via MLB Pipeline, but the asking price has failed to materialize in both what the Cardinals want and what other teams have offered, if they have.

As the new year quickly approaches, it appears Donovan and Nolan Arenado will both be starting the 2026 calendar year as members of the St. Louis Cardinals. I would be very surprised if Donovan were to be seen in Jupiter when the team reports for Spring Training, but Bloom has said previously that he only wishes to deal Donovan if they were blown away by an offer. In Arenado's case, we could see that saga roll into Spring Training again, but I still anticipate a different outcome than last year. Overall, Boston could be another fit for Donovan and potentially Arenado, but maybe Chaim Bloom would do best by dipping his toes in the waters of other organizations.