Cardinals rumors: Will St. Louis end up making Brendan Donovan trade?

The St. Louis Cardinals have been dealing away some of their veterans this offseason, including starting pitcher Sonny Gray. One Major League Baseball insider believes another deal is going to be in the works. St. Louis is likely to trade infielder Brendan Donovan before Opening Day, per Ken Rosenthal.

“I still believe the Cardinals are going to trade Donovan…. It’s obvious their bar has not been hit,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory. “The standard they set for the return they want for Brendan Donovan just hasn’t come their way.”

Between Sandy Alcántara, CJ Abrams, Jarren Duran, and Brendan Donovan, who's the most likely to get traded? @Ken_Rosenthal offers his take… pic.twitter.com/f5hGfKM5wk

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 27, 2026

Rosenthal feels the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners are two possible landing spots for Donovan. The Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates also showed interest earlier this offseason.

“He’s been out there so long,” Rosenthal added. “….Because Donovan has been discussed so heavily, he would be a guy it seems to me would at some point go.”

The Cardinals, with Donovan, finished fourth in the National League Central during the 2025 season. St. Louis missed the postseason after posting a 78-84 record.

Donovan hit at a .287 batting average in 2025, with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Cardinals are looking to build with younger talent

St. Louis has already traded some veterans, including Gray and also Nolan Arenado. Donovan has also been noted as a trade candidate.

The Cardinals are used to winning games in the NL Central, and contending for the division each year. That wasn’t the case in 2025. Cardinals management says the goal is to build a championship roster moving forward.

“We know that there are some real differences here, and there are some obstacles that might create for a team that’s not in a massive market like us,” Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said, per Sports Illustrated. “But the other thing I believe is that can never be an excuse, and as far as our baseball operation is concerned, regardless of what we might like to see happen in terms of the larger economic picture of the game, regardless of what obstacles, the status quo gets in our way, we just can’t be focused on that. That’s never been how teams in markets like ours and it’s never been how this organization has won.”

St. Louis starts playing Spring Training games in February.

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