Dream St. Louis Cardinals lineup for the 2026 season

Batting fifth, second baseman Brendan Donovan

Brendan Donovan remains in the 2026 Cardinals' dream lineup despite trade rumors swirling all offseason.

While there have been whispers of a Brendan Donovan trade this winter, I'm holding out hope that newly minted President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom will instead opt to keep Donovan with the team.

Brendan Donovan, who spent most of the 2025 season either leading off or hitting third in the lineup, settles down in the second spot in the 2026 dream lineup. This is a spot where Donnie can use his on-base skills — he ranks 34th in baseball with a .351 OBP since 2023 — to open up run-scoring opportunities for the heart of the order hitters later in the lineup.

Donovan struggled with injuries last year, but he still posted a .287/.353/.422 slash line for a .775 OPS and a 119 OPS+. He hit ten home runs and drove in 50 runners last year, all very respectable numbers. Donnie was nominated as a finalist for the National League Utility Silver Slugger as a result of his offensive efforts last year.

Steamer projects Donnie to have a slash line of .279/.353/.411 next year with 12 home runs for a 117 wRC+. Those aren't eye-popping numbers, but they're certainly strong figures for a utility player who can hit fifth in the lineup. Donnie's on-base percentage would be eclipsed by only one other player on the roster. Placing him in the heart of the lineup will give him plenty of run-producing opportunities.

There's certainly an argument to place Brendan Donovan higher up in the order, but I like him in the fifth spot. Here, he can use his propensity to get on base to his advantage and "reset" the lineup before the bottom comes to bat. Donovan could act as a second leadoff man of sorts. He has some power potential, as he hit 14 home runs with a .140 ISO in 2024. He can also wear down a pitcher similar to Masyn Winn.

Placing Donovan in the fifth spot in the lineup will further wear down a pitcher. He could also use this as a run-producing opportunity if hitters ahead of him like Alec Burleson and Willson Contreras are unable to drive in runners. Donnie is a .336 hitter with a .872 OPS from the fifth spot for his career. Those are strong numbers, and they'll bode well for a dream lineup next year.