Aug 2, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) makes a throw to first base for an out during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images David Frerker-Imagn Images

Cardinals-Red Sox Still Connected in Brendan Donovan Sweepstakes

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 4:03 PM ET

There have been very few players across Major League Baseball talked about more than Brendan Donovan this offseason.

Since the regular season ended for the Cardinals in 2025, Donovan has been discussed in some way pretty much each and every day as a trade candidate. A handful of teams have been tied to Donovan throughout the offseason, including the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and the Kansas City Royals.

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That's not all, though. Donovan is young, cost-controlled, and can do a bit of everything across the diamond. This offseason has shown how highly Donovan is viewed across the league. Early in the offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, while citing a source, that Donovan's market could include up to 22 teams. That was back in November and the rumors have been endless ever since. Clearly, teams around the league like him. The Red Sox and Cardinals have already gotten two different trades done this offseason involving Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras. The fact that Boston has been a team linked to Donovan despite making two deals already just goes to show how he's viewed, because it's rare to see two teams make multiple deals in an offseason let alone discuss a third.

The Cardinals should be considering all options

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

On Friday, MassLive.com Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo noted that he doesn't believe the fact that the Cardinals and Red Sox already have swung two deals would impact whether they make a third involving Donovan on the "Fenway Rundown" podcast.

"Donovan, left-handed, plays second," Cotillo said. "Do they want to do that with the Cardinals for the third time? I mean, that probably wouldn't stop them."

Boston potentially is the best option for St. Louis because of the fact that Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom helped to build the Red Sox farm system from the ground up. Boston has one of the better farm systems in the game, despite a handful of trades this offseason. Bloom helped build that system and certainly is familiar with some of the players in the system. If the Red Sox are willing to get a deal done, the Cardinals should be too.

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

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