Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Brendan Donovan Update Drops as Cardinals Survey Trade Block

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 7:46 AM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have been looking around all offseason for a deal involving All-Star utility man Brendan Donovan.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom arguably has played the market well. While a deal hasn't gotten done, there are very few players available right now — both in free agency and the trade block — that could have the impact that Donovan could have in 2026. He has an All-Star-level bat and is elite defensively all over the lineup. Plus, he's cost-controlled for the next two seasons. He'll make just $5.8 million in 2026, whereas teams likely will have to pay more on the open market for someone anywhere near Donovan's level.

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For example, the Los Angeles Angels brought back Yoán Moncada on a one-year deal worth $4 million earlier in the week. Moncada is talented, but he played in just 84 games in 2025 and is 30 years old. Imagine what Donovan could get on the open market? Much more than that.

The Cardinals are still engaging with the market

Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Donovan is out there for the taking and soon enough the club will either find a team willing to meet the team's high asking price — which has been reported to be multiple top prospects — or they will pull him off the market and keep an All-Star to kick off the 2026 season. A win-win scenario for the team.

On Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post shared a column highlighting the latest information that he has been hearing about the market and unsurprisingly, he mentioned the Boston Red Sox as a team with ties to Donovan. For

Boston and St. Louis have been tied to each other all offseason to this point. Arguably, a deal still sounds a bit unlikely. Like the Cardinals, the Red Sox have a glut of left-handed hitters. The club brought in Willson Contreras, but lost Alex Bregman. For the Cardinals, that doesn't matter, though. If the Red Sox meet Bloom's asking price and the Cardinals get multiple high-end prospects in return, that's all that matters.

As long as there is competition to drive the price up — Boston, the Seattle Mariners, and the San Francisco Giants have all been tied to Donovan — it doesn't matter who wins the sweepstakes. If the Cardinals can have a bidding war on their hands, it will just make the return better in the long run.

Earlier in the week, ESPN's Buster Olney said on the "Refuse to Lose" podcast that he believes that Donovan will be one of the next "dominoes to fall."

"It remains to be seen where this is going to play out but Brendan Donovan certainly is one of the next dominoes to fall," Olney said.

If Donovan is one of the next guys to be on the move, hopefully, the Cardinals can get as much as possible.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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