Blue Jays, Cardinals Linked As Possible Trade Partners With 3 Players Named

Would St. Louis send any of these reliable bats up north?

Mar 30, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) slides sadly past St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

As the end of the winter approaches, the St. Louis Cardinals are still in a position to unload talent.

Having already parted ways with multi-time All-Stars Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras, the Cardinals still have veteran bats like Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and Alec Burleson who could be of interest to contending teams in the coming seasons.

The Cardinals aren't necessarily under pressure to trade any of those position players, as they're under cheap team control through arbitration. But it's worth looking into which teams might be interested both now and in the future (most notably, the July trade deadline).

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Will Blue Jays trade for a Cardinals bat?

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) catches for an out against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

On Monday, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic linked the Toronto Blue Jays to the trio of left-handed bats listed above, noting that the fit might be better in July, but should not be ruled out before spring training begins next month.

"The St. Louis Cardinals have sold plenty of pieces this winter, and team president Chaim Bloom suggested 'there’s a lot more that could happen' at a recent availability," Bannon wrote.

"Lefty hitters Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Lars Nootbaar could each help fill holes for the Jays beyond 2026, but none is a massive upgrade over the internal options this year. Is it worth paying a significant prospect price for a one-win upgrade? That’s the kind of move that makes more sense at the trade deadline, after the Jays see what they have in (Anthony) Santander."

Earlier in the offseason, when the Blue Jays looked like prohibitive favorites to land Kyle Tucker (and if not, perhaps to re-sign Bo Bichette), it would have been hard to envision them lining up with the Cardinals on a position-player trade.

But the offseason sometimes changes on a dime, and with Toronto seemingly left out of the top tier of free-agent bats, there's cause to daydream on a fit there for any of the Cardinals' lefties.

Donovan might be a stronger fit for a trade now, but Nootbaar fits Toronto's positional needs better if he bounces back from a rough 2025 season. He'd seemingly be a better candidate to be moved at the deadline.

Burleson seems the least likely of the three to be traded, but with where the Cardinals stand in their current trajectory, nothing can be ruled out.

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