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

How Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette Impact Cardinals' Brendan Donovan

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 2:31 PM ET

The clock is ticking and Spring Training is coming up quickly.

The St. Louis Cardinals still have work to do, but arguably would be in a good place if Spring Training were going to start tomorrow, despite still holding a few trade candidates. The Cardinals have added some much-needed young pitching and have traded away two high-priced veteran players with no-trade clauses. That's a success and there still could be more to come.

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Brendan Donovan remains on the trade block. He's not only out there for the taking, but he's arguably the best overall player on the block who can play the infield after Ketel Marte was reportedly taken off the trade block. On Friday, MLB.com's Brent Maguire pitched the Red Sox for Donovan if they don't land Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman.

What will the Cardinals do next?

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"If (Alex Bregman) or (Bo Bichette) don’t work out for Boston, the Red Sox have at least one excellent trade option to target for second base," Maguire wrote. "Outside of Tarik Skubal, Ketel Marte was perhaps the best player that had been mentioned as a legitimate trade candidate this offseason. But D-backs general manager Mike Hazen made clear on Friday that Arizona is no longer interested in trading the All-Star second baseman.

"With Marte out of the running, the Red Sox could link up yet again on a trade with the Cardinals for Brendan Donovan. After acquiring Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in separate trades with the Cards, Boston could look to swing a deal for the soon-to-be 29-year-old Donovan. Donovan might be a less exciting option than Marte, but this is still someone that had a .775 OPS and 2.9 WAR in 118 games last season while being selected to his first All-Star Game. Donovan has excellent bat-to-ball skills (career 13.5 percent strikeout rate), strong plate discipline (9.1 percent walk rate) and can capably handle second base duties and slot in left field if needed."

Boston and the Cardinals are surely familiar with one another after completing separate deals this offseason around Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray. A deal for Donovan has been talked about over the last few weeks and it's a good idea seeing as the Red Sox have a good farm system that Chaim Bloom helped build. While this is the case, three separate large deals between two teams in one offseason seems unlikely.

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

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