Yankees Opportunity To Land Cardinals' Brendan Donovan, Explained

Are the St. Louis Cardinals seriously considering trading Brendan Donovan?

Buzz around Donovan continues to persist, despite the idea of dealing him a questionable one at best for St. Louis.

On Sunday, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer included Donovan on a list of “All Stars Who Could be on the Trade Block”, although Rymer did label Donovan a “long shot”. New York Post’s Jon Heyman joined in on the Donovan rumor mill, calling the All-Star infielder a “prime target” of the Houston Astros on Monday.

The author of this piece floated Donovan as a New York Yankees trade fit back in April, when the Cardinals hadn’t yet emerged as a surprise team and Donovan hadn’t yet solidified his All-Star identity (although the signs were there — he got off to a torrid start).

While it seemed plausible in April, a Donovan-Yankees deal is now close to zero in terms of likelihood, but not due to New York’s lack of need. The Yankees’ third base problem still hasn’t been solved, and it would be shocking if general manager Brian Cashman didn’t address it before July 31 in some way. Donovan, perhaps the ultimate breakout star of the MLB season, has experience playing third. He would be a dream acquisition for Cashman, of course, but the Cardinals have no reason to engage on a deal.

Donovan is still just 28 years old, which means that he belongs in St. Louis’ ongoing rebuild, perhaps as the new veteran voice in a clubhouse becoming increasingly green. MLB.com’s John Denton recently wrote about how Donovan is “becoming a leader” this season.

One way that Cashman might be able to keep the Cardinals on the phone for more than five seconds would be to offer a gargantuan package of premier prospects — a vast overpay that might even make Yankees fans cringe, despite Donovan’s brilliance. If St. Louis was able to fleece New York of a shocking amount of prospect capital, perhaps a deal could happen, especially with St. Louis’ focus on the future.

It’s not impossible. However, by far the most likely destiny for Donovan is to remain in a Cardinals uniform this season and for many more to come.