The St. Louis Cardinals appear to be on the brink of making a significant move, with All-Star utility man Brendan Donovan reportedly at the center of trade discussions involving the Seattle Mariners - and potentially the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal.
Seattle has had eyes on Donovan all offseason, especially after parting ways with their 2025 second baseman, Jorge Polanco. And while several teams have checked in, the Mariners have remained a consistent presence in the conversation.
It’s not hard to see why. Donovan isn’t just versatile - he’s the kind of player who quietly elevates a roster.
Whether he’s filling in at second, third, left field, or stepping into the DH role, he brings a steady bat and a high baseball IQ to every at-bat and every inning.
Coming off a career year in 2025, Donovan slashed .287/.353/.422 and showed some pop against right-handed pitching. He’s not going to lead the league in homers, but he finds barrels, works counts, and gives you professional at-bats - the kind that wear pitchers down and extend innings.
That kind of production, paired with his ability to move around the diamond, makes him a rare commodity in today’s game. And the Cardinals know it.
That’s why Chaim Bloom, the club’s new President of Baseball Operations, has been holding firm on the asking price.
St. Louis isn’t in a rush to give Donovan away, and they shouldn’t be.
He was their lone All-Star in 2025 for a reason. But the timing might be right.
The organization has been in the middle of a roster reshaping, and this could be another domino in what’s shaping up to be a strategic retooling rather than a full-blown rebuild.
The San Francisco Giants had also been in the mix for Donovan before signing former batting champ Luis Arraez to a one-year deal. With Arraez likely slotted in at second base, the Giants appear to have shifted focus, leaving Seattle as the clear frontrunner. If the deal gets finalized - and signs point to it being close - the Mariners could be adding a key piece to their infield puzzle.
For the Cardinals, parting with Donovan won’t be easy. He’s a fan favorite, a clubhouse leader, and a player who fits the mold of the classic Cardinal grinder.
But there’s a bigger picture at play here. With top prospect JJ Wetherholt waiting in the wings and projected to make his debut on Opening Day 2026, the front office may see this as the right time to cash in on Donovan’s value while clearing the path for the next wave of young talent.
If this trade goes through, it could net the Cardinals a meaningful return in prospect capital - a move that aligns with their long-term vision while still keeping an eye on being competitive in the near future. It’s not often you see a team trade away an All-Star and still feel like they’re staying on course, but that’s the tightrope St. Louis is walking right now.
Stay tuned. This one could come together quickly, and if it does, it might be one of the more intriguing moves of the offseason - not just for what it means in the short term, but for how it could shape the Cardinals’ future.