Aug 11, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) flips the ball to first base during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals Need to Change Their Approach With Brendan Donovan

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have been actively rebuilding this offseason. The biggest moves they made included trades of Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado. Those moves cleared up some salary space and have also opened up opportunities for younger players.

Brendan Donovan remains a wild card, however. He is their top trade chip, but as spring training approaches, he is still in a Cardinals uniform, and the closer spring training comes, the more likely it is that he stays put in 2026, at least until the trade deadline.

However, now might be a good time for the Cardinals to try a different strategy with Donovan.

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Cardinals should extend Brendan Donovan if they can't trade him

Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox all seem like strong fits for Donovan if he does get traded, but the Cardinals don't appear to have an interest in any of the offers they've received.

If they can't convince teams to offer their best packages, then there's a clear path forward. Extending him might seem like a stretch, but the Cardinals would be best served keeping him if they don't receive good offers. At that point, extending him makes sense. This wouldn't get in the way of the Cardinals' rebuild either.

Donovan is one of the longest tenured players on the roster, and he could end up being somebody the Cardinals decide to build around. He's a veteran leader at this point in his career, and the young players need somebody to lean on and provide stability. Donovan can do that for the Cardinals.

By extending him, the Cardinals would have a clear face of the franchise for the next several years, and it's a good idea to have tenured players like him on the roster.

The Cardinals haven't had a franchise player in a long time. Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols are all retired. But it would be smart to have somebody that they can pass the torch down to, and Donovan is the perfect option for that.

He can be a leader for a young team and can also help get them back to where they need to be. It will be interesting to see if his market finally takes shape, but if they can't trade him, it's not a bad idea to make him the next face of the franchise.

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

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