Pirates Should Trade for Cardinals All-Star

He started 91 of 100 games at second base for the Cardinals in 2025 and 91 out of 105 games in left field in 2024.

The Pirates need an everyday left fielder and also third base, where he's played 46 games in his career.

Donovan won a Gold Glove Award as a utility player in 2022 and had seven defensive runs saved at third base, which makes him a strong candidate for that spot as well.

Will the Pirates Trade for Donovan?

The Pirates have struggled landing players in free agency this offseason, missing out on players like Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Polanco, Josh Naylor and Pete Alonso.

Pittsburgh will have to overpay for top talent in free agency and the options they have at their disposal are running out.

The trade market provides players like Donovan, who fill positions of need on the roster and also makes them a better team offensively.

The Pirates were one of the worst hitting teams in 2025, with the lowest slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655), the third lowest batting average (.231) and the eighth lowest on-base percentage (.305).

Pittsburgh also scored the least runs (583) and drove in the least RBIs (561), both lower than the 43-119 Colorado Rockies. They also hit the least home runs (117) and had the seventh most strikeouts (1,422).

Donovan will command a hefty return, with the Cardinals reportedly wanting many top prospects and wouldn't trade him unless they are "blown away", according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.

The Pirates do have great prospects in their system and young talented starting pitching that the Cardinals would desire.

Pittsburgh would have to decide if they are willing to part ways with that starting pitching for someone like Donovan, who still has three years of team control.

Donovan Fits a Similar Profile for Pirates Needs

Pittsburgh has already looked at similar left-handed batters on the Cardinals in Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar, who all play many different positions.

The Pirates also has targeted left-handed hitting second baseman in Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets and Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays.

All of those players have had many seasons of consistent hitting the Pirates would desire and most of them have hit for power.

Donovan is along the line of those players that the Pirates want, which makes sense for them to trade for him.