Cardinals Could Cut Ties With All-Star, Per Insider: What It Means For 2026

The Cardinals have a valuable trade chip on their hands.

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

The offseason is already underway for the St. Louis Cardinals, who went 78-84 and missed the postseason for the third straight year in 2025.

This winter, fans can likely expect players such as Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray to be traded away as they enter a rebuild under Chaim Bloom. But they may not be the only ones to go.

There are plenty of other players on the roster whose days in St. Louis may be numbered as a result of their decision to rebuild, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch listed All-Star Brendan Donovan and fan-favorite Lars Nootbaar as players they will listen to offers for.

Cardinals Will Entertain Offers For Fan Favorites

May 23, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) right fielder Lars Nootbaar (21) and left fielder Brendan Donovan (33) celebrate after they scored on a three run triple by third baseman Nolan Arenado (not pictured) during the sixth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"The Cardinals will engage teams to see their interest in both players, and the Cardinals will listen to offers," Goold wrote in his weekly chat.

Donovan likely has the most value given his All-Star campaign. He hit .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI and a .775 OPS.

Both players have two years of club control remaining. They are also both left-handed bats, and the Cardinals have a plethora of such players, so trading them would potentially clear out the logjam and make way for other players to shine in 2026.

Donovan is currently the team's starting second baseman, but if he is traded away this offseason, that spot could be cleared up for top prospect JJ Wetherholt. It also would fully confirm that the Cardinals are not focused on contending next year, but rather on player development.

Nootbaar might be harder to get rid of. He missed some time with a ribcage injury and hit just .234/.325/.361 with 13 home runs, 48 RBI and a .686 OPS.

But if they are able to trade him, that would open up left field for some opportunities for Ivan Herrera, who tried his hand at the position this year. They could also stick with Pedro Pages behind the plate for 2026 and give more opportunities to Jimmy Crooks.

The Cardinals are likely not going to contend in 2026, but it should still be a very interesting offseason. They should be one of the more active teams in terms of trading veteran players away.

We'll see if they can ultimately find new spots for Nootbaar and Donovan as their first offseason under Bloom's leadership progresses.

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