MLB insider links St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan to a surprising team

The rumor mill surrounding St. Louis Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan has gained speed over the last few days. What began as whispers of a potential trade has developed into full-blown rumors and even inklings of reports that the Cardinals could trade their prized clubhouse leader.

Trading Brendan Donovan now would be a hit to the clubhouse without a doubt. He's become a leader for the Cardinals, and he's provided plus production for the Cardinals for almost four years now. However, the Cardinals are looking long term with new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom at the helm now. Therefore, the club should look to gather as many high-end prospects as possible. Moving on from Donovan would be a great kickstart to that process.

Several teams would jump at the chance to acquire a Gold Glove utility man with plus offensive output like Brendan Donovan. The New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, and Seattle Mariners would all be obvious trade partners for Donovan. However, one MLB insider gave a surprising connection for Brendan Donovan.

ESPN's Jeff Passan pairs the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians as partners in a trade for Brendan Donovan.

The Cleveland Guardians are another team that is looking to remain competitive while working within their financial restraints. Acquiring controllable players in their arbitration years has been a practice Cleveland has been using for a long time to remain competitive despite having a payroll below league average.

Last year, Cleveland ranked 29th in team on-base percentage. Lucky for Cleveland, Brendan Donovan excels at getting on base. Guardians second basemen finished 24th in collective bWAR, so they could certainly use an upgrade there. Even with former #1 overall draft pick Travis Bazzana waiting in the wings, the Guardians would jump on the opportunity to acquire Brendan Donovan. As Jeff Passan puts it, "It just so happens the Cardinals have a player who can handle second base until Travis Bazzana is ready and then shift to a corner outfielder."

The Guardians' outfielders ranked 28th in outfielder bWAR last year, so Donovan would be a welcome addition there once Bazzana is ready for his MLB debut.

Brendan Donovan finished 2025 with a .287/.353/.422 slash line and 10 home runs in 460 at-bats. He was limited in playing time due to a groin injury, and he underwent a procedure at the start of the offseason. The hope is that Donovan will be able to start spring training on time despite this surgery.

Rob Cerfolio, the Cardinals' Director of Pitching, is quite familiar with Cleveland's prospects. He was previously their farm director, so he knows a thing or two about Guardians prospects.

Brendan Donovan won't net a haul, but he could bring back a top prospect in an organization, along with some lesser pieces. Could the Cardinals coax away Khal Stephen, a control right-hander who struck out 110 batters in 103 innings last year while playing as high as Double-A in his first season since being drafted in 2024? Perhaps Braylon Doughty, a 19-year-old out of California who employs plus breaking balls, tickles Bloom's and Cerfolio's fancy.

Regardless of who the Cardinals want in return for Brendan Donovan, there's no shortage of strong prospects in Cleveland's system.

It will be difficult to see Brendan Donovan traded this offseason, but trading him now while the Cardinals are in a down portion of their competitive cycle will help the team in the long run. After all, looking down the road is what Chaim Bloom intends on doing this winter.