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The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the National League’s biggest surprises of the season.
Brendan Donovan looks like an All-Star and is having the best season of his career so far. He has played in 64 games so far this season and is slashing .310/.379/.440 with four homers, 26 RBIs, 20 doubles, 22 walks, and 35 runs scored.
The Cardinals have been missing him over the last few days and now their record is down to 36-32 on the season.
While this is the case, there is no reason for the Cardinals to even think about trading him, but The Athletic’s Jim Bowden called him a “possible target” for the Houston Astros.
"Houston Astros — AL West," Bowden said. "Biggest need: Left-handed hitter. Possible targets: Ryan O’Hearn, Orioles; Brandon Lowe, Rays; Jesús Sánchez, Marlins; Jarren Duran, Red Sox; Brendan Donovan, Cardinals; Josh Naylor, Diamondbacks; Luis Arraez, Padres; Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals; Kyle Stowers, Marlins; Josh Smith, Rangers."
If the Cardinals were to trade Donovan, that would be a pretty big blow to the fanbase. Donovan is just 28 years old and is under team control through the end of the 2027 season. The Cardinals have him under cheap, team control for at least two more years beyond this one and the team has clearly shown this season that they are at least close to going after a playoff spot.
Trading Donovan would be a bad idea. He can play all over the field at a high level, his bat has now taken the jump to the next level, and he's one of the biggest voices in the clubhouse. This is just speculation, but isn't noise the Cardinals should be considering.
More must-reads:
- Surprising Marlins earn MLB first in sweep of Yankees
- Brewers place All-Star righty Jacob Misiorowski on 15-day injured list
- The '250-strikeout MLB seasons' quiz
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Orioles claim pair of players
The Orioles have claimed infielder Vidal Brujan off waivers from the Cubs and right-hander Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Giants, according to a team announcement. Brujan is out of options and must be added to the big league roster but has not yet reported. Ragsdale, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ 40-man roster now stands at 37, so no corresponding 40-man moves are necessary. Brujan, 27, was a top-100 prospect in the Rays’ system for many years. He failed to establish himself at the big league level in Tampa, however, and hit just .157/.218/.221 across 99 games (272 plate appearances) between 2021 and 2023 for the club. Prior to the 2024 season, Brujan was shipped alongside reliever Calvin Faucher to the Marlins in a trade and he was able to take on a larger role with a rebuilding Miami club. With regular playing time available to him, his performance modestly improved. He remained a below-average contributor overall, however, with a 73 wRC+ despite a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 9.0% walk rate. Those solid discipline numbers were outweighed by a complete lack of power, less impressive speed on the basepaths than his days a prospect would’ve otherwise indicated, and a lackluster BABIP. While Brujan was versatile enough to hold onto a bench role for the Marlins, he was shipped to the Cubs last offseason in the Matt Mervis trade. He held onto a bench role with Chicago throughout the first half and had value on paper as a player who could help hold down third base while Matt Shaw developed in the minor leagues while also spelling Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. Unfortunately, the fit didn’t work out as well in practice as Brujan posted an atrocious 43 wRC+ in 36 games and was designated for assignment just before the trade deadline. Ragsdale, meanwhile, is a 27-year-old right-handed starter. He was added to the Giants’ 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after he posted a strong 3.49 ERA in 14 starts at the Double-A level that year, but a career ERA north of 5.00 at Triple-A in conjunction with a 19.9% strikeout rate against a 13.0% walk rate at the level this year left Ragsdale as little more than a depth starter for a club with a number of viable young arms. San Francisco designated him for assignment to make room for top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt on the roster prior to the trade deadline. Now, both players are ticketed to join the Orioles organization. Brujan figures to join the club’s active roster within the next couple of days and could serve as a versatility utility option for the infield after Ramon Urias was traded to Houston prior to the deadline this past week. Ragsdale, meanwhile, could make his big league debut at some point down the stretch to help the Orioles eat innings amid injuries to key arms like Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez, particularly after Charlie Morton was shipped off to Detroit.
DK Metcalf makes huge claim about Steelers defense
D.K. Metcalf has faced plenty of steep competition through his first six NFL seasons, both during games and practice, but the star wide receiver has noticed something different in his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During an interview with Ian Rapoport and Steve Smith of NFL Network on Sunday, Metcalf discussed some of his first impressions of the Steelers. He spoke about how challenging it has been to go up against cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay every day. When asked how the practice competition compares to what he saw with the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf made a bold claim about his new teammates. "You don't want my opinion, because I think they're the best defense I've ever seen," Metcalf said. "There's some dogs everywhere on the field, and I tip my hat to them because they come to work every day and we don't have any choice but to get better." There is no question that the Steelers should have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL on paper. While they sent five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in the Ramsey trade, their cornerback trio of Ramsey, Porter and Slay is as talented as any in the league. The Steelers allowed 20.4 points per game last year, which ranked eighth in the NFL. Their pass defense surrendered 228 yards per game, which only ranked 25th. If Metcalf's assessment is accurate, Pittsburgh should show great improvement against the pass in 2025.
Tottenham Hotspur star announces unexpected departure
In a summer already marked by high drama in the soccer world, Tottenham Hotspur captain Heung-min Son has delivered a stunning announcement: he will leave the club this summer after more than a decade of service. The 33-year-old forward confirmed his decision during an emotional press conference ahead of Tottenham’s preseason friendly against Newcastle United in Seoul. This match may now serve as his farewell appearance for the club. Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed that Son will start and captain the side in Sunday’s game. "I have decided to leave the club this summer. Respectfully the club is helping me with this decision," said Son. "It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. "I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change — 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man. "I want to say thank you to all the Spurs fans for giving me so much love. I hope the goodbye is also good timing and this is the right time to make that decision. I hope everyone can accept that and respect that." Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 and has since made 454 appearances, scoring 173 goals, sitting fourth on the club’s all-time scoring list. His final competitive outing is likely to remain the Europa League final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao, offering a storybook ending to a glittering career in north London. The South Korean revealed he made the decision some time ago, informing only a few teammates before speaking with Frank ahead of preseason. Son is reportedly exploring a move to Major League Soccer (MLS), with Los Angeles FC emerging as a leading contender. Interest from Saudi Arabian clubs also persists. He now becomes the latest high-profile departure at Spurs following Harry Kane’s 2023 transfer to Bayern Munich, as the club enters a new era under Frank, who joined from Brentford earlier this summer.
Maurice Jones-Drew Ranks Omarion Hampton Above Ashton Jeanty As Top Rookie RB
The Las Vegas Raiders selected running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the highest a back has been taken since Saquon Barkley was drafted second overall in 2018. With the Raiders bringing in Pete Carroll as head coach, who loves to run the ball, many are expecting a big rookie season for Jeanty. However, former three-time All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes rookie Omarion Hampton of the Los Angeles Chargers will have an even better year. In his running back rankings on NFL.com, Jones-Drew ranked Hampton 13th, ahead of Jeanty, who was 17th, and explained why he is higher on Hampton going into this year: Some of you might be surprised to see Hampton ranked higher than No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, based on their respective standings in my pre-draft RB rankings, but hear me out. Hampton joins a Jim Harbaugh-led offense that loves to the run the ball, so there will be plenty of touches to go around. He should be the bell cow for this unit — with veteran Najee Harris in the backup role — thanks to his patience and ability to bounce off defenders. Hampton is in the perfect situation to find early success, and while you could say similar things about Jeanty, Pete Carroll’s recent comments (which I’ll get to in a minute) swayed my opinion some. It seems as if Jones-Drew views Hampton’s situation with the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh in a run-first offense as better than that of Jeanty. However, when he got down to Jeanty at 17th in his rankings, Jones-Drew echoed many of the same things that have him high on Hampton: I can’t wait to watch Jeanty take his first NFL snap. The No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft is tough to tackle and should fit perfectly in an attack that wants to bully opponents under Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly. Carroll said last month that the offense won’t rely on just one back in the ground game, but it’s hard to envision the Raiders consistently looking to Raheem Mostert, Zamir White or Sincere McCormick when they have a talent like Jeanty on the roster. While it is true that Carroll has said that he plans on a committee approach, as Jones-Drew noted, Jeanty’s talent should have him head and shoulders above the other backs in the Raiders’ backfield. And like Hampton, Jeanty is coming in under a coach that prioritizes running the ball. Who will wind up having the better rookie season will be found out, but Jeanty could certainly use this as some extra motivation going into his debut season with the Raiders. Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty names Saquon Barkley as favorite current running back Most would consider Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley as the best running back in the NFL today, and Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty likewise views him as his favorite in the league today.
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