Playing GM: 5 Moves To Complete the St. Louis Cardinals Roster for 2026

• Mariners get: Brendan Donovan, Pedro Pagés
• Cardinals get: Jurrangelo Cjintje, Luke Stevenson, Nick Becker

In his four big league seasons, Brendan Donovan has never posted a wRC+ below 115. A renowned contact hitter, he is one of just five players (min. 300 PA) to bat at least .275 in each of the past four years.

It’s not an empty batting average either. He’s not especially disciplined, and no one is ever going to call him a power threat, but his career walk rate is above average, and he’s a safe bet for double-digit home runs every year.

Since Donovan debuted in 2022, only three hitters have taken more plate appearances with a lower strikeout rate, a higher walk rate, and a higher isolated power: José Ramírez, Alex Bregman, and Mookie Betts.

On top of all that, Donovan offers value with his versatility. Primarily a second baseman, he also has ample experience in the outfield corners, as well as at first base, third base, and shortstop.

Altogether, the utility man has been worth 10.1 fWAR in 491 games, an average of 3.3 per 162. He’s a consistent, multi-talented player in the prime of his career. Yet, with Donovan set to hit free agency after 2027 and the Cardinals just embarking on a rebuild, it makes sense for St. Louis to try to cash in on his value while it’s still so high.

The free agent class for middle infielders was weak this year, and it seems like a lot of teams aren’t keen to spend big bucks in free agency. Contending teams looking to add a left-handed bat should leap at the opportunity to add Donovan and his projected $5.4 million salary for 2026 (per MLB Trade Rumors).

Seattle is one such team. Re-signing Josh Naylor was the Mariners’ biggest move so far, and it was a good one. But Jorge Polanco is a Met now, Eugenio Suárez is still a free agent, and the only outside addition the M’s have made to improve their offense is Rob Refsnyder. They need to do more.

Refsndyer is a great hitter, but only against left-handed pitching. He’s a non-factor against lefties. Donovan, on the other hand (no pun intended), ranks among MLB’s top 20 hitters against right-handed pitching over the last four seasons (by wRC+, min. 1,500 PA).

Donovan would also be a great fit for Seattle defensively. In a dream 2026 scenario for the Mariners, Victor Robles bounces back to his 2024 self, Dominic Canzone maintains his breakout from 2025, and young infielders Colt Emerson and Cole Young reach their full potential right away.

If all of those players thrive, Seattle wouldn’t have much need for Donovan. But if even one of them struggles, manager Dan Wilson will be glad to have Donovan, who can contribute in the infield, in the outfield, or at DH.

The Mariners could also use a better backup for Cal Raleigh than Andrew Knizner, even though they signed Knizner to a major league contract earlier this offseason. Pedro Pagés isn’t necessarily much better with the bat, but he proved himself to be an excellent defender behind the dish in 2025.

From the Cardinals’ perspective, trading Pagés would be a strong show of faith in Iván Herrera. They would love Herrera to establish himself as the everyday catcher in 2026. It would also help them bring back a stronger prospect return.

To that point, coming back to St. Louis in this trade proposal are three of Seattle’s top 10 prospects: switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cjintje, catcher Luke Stevenson, and shortstop Nick Becker.

You can find detailed breakdowns of all three at this link, courtesy of Just Baseball’s prospect expert Aram Leighton.

Trade JoJo Romero to the Diamondbacks

• Diamondbacks get: JoJo Romero
• Cardinals get: LuJames Groover

JoJo Romero has pitched very well for the Redbirds since they acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline, putting up a 3.00 ERA and 3.82 xERA with 15 wins, 12 saves, and 57 holds. His 3.38 Win Probability Added puts him among the top 50 relievers in that time.

The Cardinals helped the lefty harness the power of his sinker, and the results speak for themselves. Dating back to his debut with St. Louis, only nine relievers have thrown more innings with a higher groundball rate. Only 11 relievers have induced more groundball double plays than Romero’s 20, and only one of them, Jose A. Ferrer, did so at a higher rate.

It could be very difficult to watch the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2026 without Romero, but that’s no reason not to trade him, considering he’s set to reach free agency next offseason.

The Diamondbacks are one of the few teams whose bullpen is arguably worse than the Cardinals’ right now, and unlike the Cardinals, they are purportedly trying to contend. The D-backs don’t have any healthy lefty relievers with so much as one full season of MLB experience, so Romero is a perfect fit.

LuJames Groover sits at the back of Arizona’s top 10 prospects, according to both MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs. Baseball America had him at No. 9 entering 2025 but dropped him off their latest top 10 update.

In other words, he doesn’t project as a future star, but his hit tool is safe enough that it’s not hard to envision him turning into another bat-first utility player in the Donovan mold.

Trade Nolan Arenado to the Angels

• Angels get: Nolan Arenado, $10 million cash
• Cardinals get: Chris Cortez, Samy Natera Jr.

By all accounts, Nolan Arenado is much more willing to waive his no-trade clause this winter than he was last year. It isn’t hard to understand why.

A year ago, Arenado could have at least tried to convince himself that his team was still a contender. After all, the Cardinals finished 83-79 in 2024, and fellow veterans Gray and Contreras joined him in expressing a desire to stick with St. Louis.

Now, however, the Cardinals are coming off a losing season, and Gray and Contreras have already agreed to trades. Presuming Chaim Bloom can also pull off the aforementioned trades of Donovan and Romero, it would be pretty surprising if Arenado still wanted to stick around.

As for potential trade partners, the Cardinals need to find a team with a hole at third base that would be willing to eat at least some of the money remaining on Arenado’s contract.

Some of the more attractive landing spots from Arenado’s perspective might include the Red Sox or Yankees, but so far, only one suitor has been publicly linked to the 10-time Gold Glover: the Los Angeles Angels.

Would Arenado accept a trade to the Angels? It’s an interesting question. There’s no guarantee the Angels will be any better than the Cardinals in 2026, but at least they’re making some sort of effort to improve. It should also help that Arenado was born and raised in Southern California.

The Angels won’t be the most appealing destination for him – that goes without saying – but it might come down to the Angels or no one.

Presuming Arenado agrees to a trade, this proposal sees the Cardinals sending the third baseman and $10 million in cash to the Angels in exchange for right-hander Chris Cortez and lefty Samy Natera Jr.

Cortez, 23, is one of L.A.’s top 10 prospects, so this isn’t just a salary dump. Indeed, the possibility of bringing back an arm like Cortez is precisely why we have the Cardinals eating $10 million of Arenado’s remaining salary.

Here’s what Aram Leighton had to say about Cortez earlier this year:

Cortez’s arm talent and ability to get ground balls likely played a key part in the Angels’ decision to try him as a starter, and while the numbers have been solid from a run-prevention standpoint, he still projects better out of the bullpen.

In shorter spurts the fastball, slider combination will be all he really needs, with both presumably playing up. With a walk rate hanging out around 15% at High-A, it is worth wondering if the Angels make that change with Cortez ahead of the 2026 season, as his best two pitches could play well in a big league bullpen with a bit more refinement.

Natera is a bit more of a lottery ticket. He received an honorable mention on Just Baseball’s ranking of the Angels’ top 15 prospects back in August. Here’s Aram’s write-up:

A late-blooming southpaw reliever, Natera really stood out out in the Arizona Fall League in 2024 before struggling out of the gate in Double-A in 2025. Natera has since shaken off some command challenges that held him back in the first half of the season, throwing plenty more strikes with a fastball slider combination that looks like it can play in a big league bullpen. 

Sign Free Agent Tyler Kinley

• Kinley gets: A one-year, $5 million deal
• Cardinals get: Some badly-needed bullpen innings

As things stand, the Cardinals’ bullpen would be a disaster without Romero. The only reliever in the organization with more than two years of service time (besides Romero) is Packy Naughton, who hasn’t been healthy since July 2024 and hasn’t pitched in the majors since April 2023.

Tyler Kinley has thrown 331.1 MLB innings over the last eight seasons, including a career-high 72.2 in 2025. He’ll be 35 this coming season, but he’s been remarkably durable the last two years.

Kinley’s ERA has fluctuated wildly throughout his big league tenure, in no small part because he’s spent most of it in Colorado. However, he owns a 3.97 xERA and 4.29 FIP for his career, and the Steamer projection system at FanGraphs has him putting up a 4.05 ERA in 64 innings next year.

Is Kinley an exciting signing? Of course not. That’s why he’d be available on a one-year, $5 million deal. But for the same reason the Cardinals targeted Dustin May, Kinley makes a lot of sense. Even rebuilding teams need innings, and if all goes well, St. Louis can flip Kinley at the deadline for a lottery ticket prospect.

Get JJ Wetherholt to the Majors

• Wetherholt gets: An opportunity to make the Opening Day roster
• Cardinals get: Their next young star

The Cardinals aren’t going to make any blockbuster signings this winter, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have any new stars in 2026.

JJ Wetherholt is the No. 9 prospect in baseball, and he doesn’t have much more to prove in the minor leagues. In his first full professional season, Wetherholt slashed .306/.421/.510 between Double-A and Triple-A, good for a 154 wRC+. Through just 109 games, he hit 17 home runs and stole 17 bases, with 72 walks to 73 strikeouts.

Masyn Winn, a superior defender, is blocking Wetherholt at shortstop, but that shouldn’t be an issue. Wetherholt’s bat is strong enough (and his shortstop defense is questionable enough) that a move to second or third base was probably in the cards no matter what.

Presuming Donovan and Arenado are out of the picture by spring training, the Cardinals can test Wetherholt out at both spots.

To be clear, no one is saying the Cardinals should rush their top prospect to the majors if he isn’t ready. However, if he looks up to the task in spring training, there shouldn’t be anything standing in his way.