Surprise rival club reportedly in hot pursuit of Cardinals All-Star Brendan Donovan

The St. Louis Cardinals have been inching closer and closer to fully committing to a rebuild over the past 12 months, and they may now be ready to finally take the plunge into the deep end.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan is one of the hottest names on the trade market, and one of the Cardinals' closest geographic neighbors is emerging as the favorite for his services.

The Kansas City Royals' need for more offense has been well documented — Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, and Vinnie Pasquantino were their only above-average hitters in 2025 — and Donovan is a seamless fit on their roster as someone who can hit and play practically every position on the diamond.

Is there a match to be had here between the Missouri rivals?

Royals are perfect fit for Brendan Donovan, but matching up on a trade price could prove difficult.

Donovan's availability should no longer be in question. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic already confirmed that he's likely to be moved as part of a potential St. Louis fire sale this offseason, noting the team is preparing to make room for top prospect J.J. Wetherholt in the infield.

Donovan, despite a lingering groin issue that cost him some time throughout the 2025 season, should fetch a pretty penny on the trade market. He earned his first All-Star appearance this year on the back of a 125 wRC+ in the first half, and he hit .287/.353/.422 overall. It was his third time in four seasons that he accrued at least 2.6 fWAR, and his 119 wRC+ matched up perfectly with his career mark.

Set to be 29 on Opening Day 2026 and with two years of team control remaining via arbitration, Donovan has quite a bit of value to a small-market club like the Royals, especially because he's played every position besides catcher and center field in St. Louis. He settled into a near-full-time role at second base this year, but in 2024, he spent the majority of his time in left field. That kind of versatility could prove crucial to the Royals' efforts.

For their part, Kansas City has the pitching the Cardinals reportedly covet, though perhaps not as much as it may appear at first glance. They don't have any Top 100 pitching prospects, and most of their current big league starters are older veterans under expensive contracts (Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha) or on the cusp of free agency (Kris Bubic).

Cole Ragans, 27, is an obvious target with his three years of team control remaining, but he was a Cy Young contender as recently as last year. Would the Cardinals really be willing to part with Donovan and more to acquire a pitcher already in his arbitration years?

We know Donovan has attracted the attention of another AL Central contender in the Cleveland Guardians, so, if the Cardinals play their cards right, they could incite a bidding war for the All-Star's services between the division rivals. That could prove to be their best path to extract quality pitching from another team this offseason.

Parting with Donovan is ultimately a necessary evil in this early stage of the Cardinals' rebuild. If the Royals are truly agressive in pursuing offensive upgrades this winter, they make a lot of sense as a trade partner.