Cardinals rumors: 4 possible Brendan Donovan trade destinations

Brendan Donovan has been a very strong player for the St. Louis Cardinals since his callup in 2022. He has already accumulated 6.1 bWAR in just over 1,000 at-bats, and he has a career OPS+ of 120. Donovan has also been a solid defender at multiple positions in both the outfield and infield. He has primarily played second base, but Donovan has also found time at shortstop, first base, third base, and both corner outfield spots.

St. Louis would be wise to keep a defensively versatile player with an above-average bat from the left side. Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, and Brendan Donovan could provide three different profiles from the left side for many years to come in St. Louis; however, if St. Louis's desire for a top-end pitcher this offseason is true, they will have to give up talent to get it in return.

There are plenty of free-agent pitchers who could lead a staff, but there are just as many talented trade options. Shane Bieber, Tyler Glasnow, Logan Gilbert, and Dylan Cease have all been reported as potential trade candidates, and they are all more than capable starting pitchers who would be immediate upgrades in any rotation, especially for the Cardinals. The issue with some of those pitchers, particular Gilbert and Cease, is that their current teams will be asking for quite a bit in return.

I recently ranked Donovan as the second-most valuable piece the team has behind only Nolan Gorman this offseason. Teams across the league seem to agree, as the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays have all been reported to have interest in the utility man. Derrick Goold recently discussed four trade partners in one of his pieces (subscription required).

Let's take a look at those four teams and try to put together some returns for Brendan Donovan.

New York Yankees

The Athletic's Chris Kirschner recently wrote about the Yankees's offseason plans in this article (subscription required). He stated that part of the Yankees' offseason plans should include a trade for more offense and versatility.

(Donovan's) OPS would have ranked third on the Yankees behind (Aaron) Judge and Gleyber Torres. The Yankees simply need more good hitters heading into next season, and Donovan fills that hole.

Kirschner also states that the Yankees have plenty of starting pitchers both at their major-league level and throughout the minors. Players such as Michael King, Clarke Schmidt, Randy Vasquez, Clayton Beeter, and Drew Thorpe are all players with high upside, and the Cardinals could even try to acquire Chase Hampton, the team's best-ranked pitching prospect.

Derrick Goold in his chat from this week also discussed the Yankees' interest in a left-handed batter. He stated that the Yankees "are interested in the Cardinals' left-handed hitting or switch-hitting infielders."

Donovan is a talented player with four years of control left, so it will take quite the return from the Yankees to interest the Cardinals. An MLB-ready pitcher along with some prospects would probably be enough to sway the Cardinals into dealing the Gold Glover. It would be tough to see Donovan go, as he is beloved by many fans; nevertheless, he is a valuable player who would bring back multiple strong pitching prospects. It is likely that Brendan Donovan becomes another "the one that got away" player down the road, but the Yankees have plenty of pitchers that would make this deal easier to swallow.

Trade Prediction: Brendan Donovan and Moises Gomez for Michael King, Drew Thorpe, and Will Warren

Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners sure could use some help up the middle of the infield. Josh Rojas was their second baseman last year after Kolten Wong was released in early August. Rojas finished the season with a .245/.303/.338 slash line; he was a positive defender in 2023, but his 2021 and 2022 seasons featured a negative Outs Above Average. Seattle would benefit with a better offensive and defensive second baseman; enter Brendan Donovan.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi discussed at the trade deadline how the Mariners and Cardinals would have been good trade partners, and the same remains true this offseason. According to Morosi, the Cardinals were willing to listen to offers on their position players so long as the return was pitching with multiple years of control. George Kirby fits that bill, but Seattle has been adamant that he is not available.

Most of those talks were held around the trade deadline, but St. Louis and Seattle are more than likely revisiting those conversations since the same problems still exist for both teams. Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, and Bryan Woo are all young pitchers who have a track record of success or a high prospect status.

But if the team calling you is offering you a player who is 26, who’s not arbitration-eligible still for multiple years, not a free agent until after 2028, that’s the kind of thing that you talk about.

Derrick Goold also touched on the Mariners' interest in a "left-handed force" in his weekly chat. Assuming the Cardinals want control, the Mariners would like that control to be matched. Donovan is a controllable left-handed batter.

Gilbert finished 2023 with a 3.73 ERA in 190 innings; he isn't a free agent until after the 2027 season. Miller had a 4.32 ERA in 131 innings, but he is only 25 years old. He has 6 years of control left and is a favorite prospect of the Mariners. Bryan Woo made a small appearance at the major league level last year, and he had a 4.21 ERA in 87.2 innings. In AA, Woo pitched 44 innings for a 2.05 ERA and 0.886 WHIP.

Trade Prediction: Brendan Donovan and Edwin Nunez for Bryce Miller

Chicago White Sox

With the recent decline of Tim Anderson's contract option, the Chicago White Sox all of a sudden have quite the hole up the middle. The White Sox appear to be a team in a rebuild, and they would be desperate for young players to fill out their roster of the future.

The Cardinals will surely be asking for Dylan Cease in return, but his price appears to be too high for St. Louis's liking. Goold stated that a package including Tommy Edman, Tink Hence, and Gordon Graceffo would be a hefty package for Cease, and it still might not be enough to bring Cease over from Chicago.

The (White) Sox will want to command (a strong haul) --that one step more than the Cardinals are comfortable/confident doing.

Another package that was proposed by a fan a couple of weeks ago included Matthew Liberatore, Dylan Carlson, Ivan Herrera, and Brendan Donovan. Goold described that package as uncertain for the White Sox due to injuries and a high price for the Cardinals. While Donovan is a young, controllable, versatile, and offensively-powered second baseman, he alone wouldn't be enough to land Dylan Cease. If he were to be paired with a pitching prospect or two, the White Sox may be willing to listen at that point.

Trade Prediction: Brendan Donovan, Tink Hence, and Michael McGreevy for Dylan Cease