Aug 12, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) dives and catches a line drive hit by Colorado Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle (not pictured) during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Cardinals Predicted To Make Offseason Brendan Donovan Trade Decision

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals are headed for a long and stressful rebuild as they look to build their roster from the ground up. This likely includes a lot of uncomfortable moves in the coming months and years.

One of the moves the Cardinals could make is a Brendan Donovan trade. Donovan is a versatile infielder who could also play outfield, but with his contract ending at the end of the 2027 season, the Cardinals are unlikely to be competitive before his contract runs out.

With that in mind, it would make some sense for St. Louis to cut ties with him in a blockbuster offseason trade this winter. The Cardinals would land a haul of prospects in return, while freeing up second base for top prospect JJ Wetherholt.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently put together an opening day lineup prediction for the Cardinals. This lineup has Donovan playing left field and batting third in the order, indicating the Cardinals won't trade him during the winter months.

Cardinals predicted to hold onto Brendan Donovan in the offseason

Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"The Cardinals were one of the toughest teams to nail down, with a lot of redundant pieces on their roster, which could lead to some offseason shuffling on the trade market," Reuter wrote. "Nolan Gorman has shown enough upside during the second half to get another look as an everyday player, but ideally that would come at designated hitter or an infield corner. Thomas Saggese is also a candidate for the second base job, along with versatile veteran Brendan Donovan, but expect the front office to unclog some of these logjams this winter."

There would still be a chance, in this theoretical world, that Donovan is traded at the trade deadline, but it seems like Reuter views him as a fit in St. Louis.

Donovan is the Cardinals' best hitter and he plays the game the right way. The versatile infielder is gritty and loved by the fans, which makes him a tough piece to part ways with.

But if the Cardinals are serious about contending within the next five years, Donovan may have to be traded, as it's unlikely that he'll be re-signed. St. Louis has some tough decisions to make in the coming months.

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

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