Brendan Donovan Gets Solid Endorsement As Cardinals Trade Rumors Swirl

Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan might be the key to a solid future in St. Louis...

Aug 11, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) flips the ball to first base during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly headed for a rebuild this offseason after years of mediocrity at the big league level. They're seemingly moving on from the aging veterans in an attempt to get younger for the future.

St. Louis has a lot of talented young players, including All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan. Donovan was the team's only All-Star this year, but that doesn't mean he was their only top talent.

Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently listed Donovan as one of the Cardinals' most valuable players, only trailing young stars like Iván Herrera, Masyn Winn, and JJ Wetherholt in terms of future value.

Brendan Donovan is crucial to Cardinals' future

Aug 11, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates with manager Oliver Marmol (37) after the Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"If the season ended today, Donovan slashed .283/.351/.410 with 10 home runs and a 115 wRC+ in 501 plate appearances, but prior to the toe injury he suffered on June 11th, he was a 132 wRC+ bat with a .310/.379/.440 slash line during those 64 games," Jacobs wrote. "During the two months that Donovan played through his toe injury rather than going on the injured list, he slashed .234/.305/.349, which amounted to a terrible 84 wRC+ in 46 games.

"With two years of club control remaining, Donovan is the leader in the Cardinals clubhouse, ranks 72nd out of 297 qualified hitters since the beginning of 2022 in wRC+, and has incredible defensive versatility to go with his bat. The Cardinals need to try to extend him this offseason, or else it probably does make sense to shop him on the trade market to maximize his trade value."

The Cardinals have been mixed in trade rumors with Donovan for months now. The star infielder has two years of team control left in his deal, so the Cardinals don't need to trade him.

Instead, St. Louis could look to sign him to an extension in order to make him a focal point of the future. With Chaim Bloom taking over as the president of baseball operations this offseason, the Cardinals will likely make a decision with Donovan, whether it be a trade or an extension.

Either way, the versatile infielder is one of the most valuable players in the Cardinals' organization. The Cardinals will either use this value in a trade or on the field.

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