Cardinals All-Star Floated For Blue Jays After Losing World Series

The St. Louis Cardinals have pieces that any team would be lucky to have...

Apr 16, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove in the dugout during a game against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

If the St. Louis Cardinals can make it through the offseason with Brendan Donovan still a member of the organization, that arguably would be a positive thing.

It's not every day that you find a guy who can play all over the diamond and do so at an All-Star level. That's exactly what Donovan has been for the Cardinals, but that unsurprisingly has led to chatter around the league about other teams that could make sense for him.

CBS Sports' Dayn Perry, for example, floated Donovan as a possible offseason option for the Toronto Blue Jays after making it all the way to the World Series, but losing in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"The free agent market isn't particularly strong on middle-infield options, so if the Jays squander the chance to re-up with Bichette, then they may be best served by moving Andrés Giménez to short and trading for a second baseman," Perry said. "On that front, Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals is probably the strongest option. He's a defensive plus at the position and he also boasts the ability to play third, first, left field, and even fill in at short in a pinch. Donovan bats lefty and has a 117 OPS+ across parts of four MLB seasons.

There's an argument that the Cardinals should keep Brendan Donovan

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) runs to second against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"He looked primed to reach a higher tier offensively in 2025, his first All-Star campaign, but a toe injury that cascaded throughout his lower half and compromised his swing got in the way. Donovan's going into his age-29 season and has two full years of team control remaining. It's not certain the Cardinals are willing to trade him, but given the rebuild underway they're likely persuadable."

The Cardinals have a question in the middle infield right now with Bo Bichette available in free agency. Adding someone like Donovan could obviously help Toronto, especially if Bichette leaves.

But, again, there's a real argument that the Cardinals shouldn't trade Donovan away. The Cardinals seemingly need to rebuild right now. Donovan won't be a free agent until 2028. If the Cardinals can get the team on track and closer to playoff contention by 2027, Donovan could still fit the timeline for the organization.

Also, he's a leader for the team. Trading pieces and rebuilding is difficult in itself. If you trade one of your top overall leaders away, that will just make things tougher. Even if it makes sense for the Blue Jays, it may not for the Cardinals.

More MLB: Mariners Linked To $87 Million Cardinals Star, But It's Tricky