Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Expected To Move On From 28-Year-Old All-Star

The St. Louis Cardinals have been active throughout the offseason to this point...
Patrick McAvoy|
Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Aug 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chaim Bloom, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox on the field before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

As we begin to inch closer and closer to Spring Training, we've go to start seeing some movement around the league. Right?

There is just over one month to go until the Spring Training kicks off and things are still quiet transaction-wise. There's a healthy amount of trade and free agency rumors around the league right now, but it's been a bit since a big deal got done. For the St. Louis Cardinals, the last deal they made was sending Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Hunter Dobbins and two prospects on Dec. 21. There haven't been many fireworks around the league in general since.

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On Tuesday, ESPN's Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers gave updates on markets around the league, including that teams expect Brendan Donovan will be traded, but Nolan Arenado is trickier.

When will the market move?

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan
Sep 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) throws out Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (43) (not pictured) at first base in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

"Some rival clubs still believe that Washington Nationals starter Mackenzie Gore is going to move before mid-February," Olney wrote. "Other teams believe Brandon Donovan is going to be dealt by the St. Louis Cardinals -- and it'll be really interesting to see if St. Louis eventually just opts to release Nolan Arenado, given the decline in his performance the past couple of years, the saturation of the corner-infield market and the fact that the Cards are in a rebuild mode...

"I echo what Buster is hearing on Donovan while Arenado's market is 'moving slow' according to a source," Rogers responded.

On the Arenado front, a release is not expected. Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has specifically said that Arenado will not be released this offseason. As things stand, he will either be traded, or be a part of the team in 2026.

For Donovan, he has been among the most popular trade candidates in baseball, but when will he be moved? That is the question. Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks is also an infielder who has been available on the block, but that seems to be coming to an end. If Marte is off the block, hopefully, the Cardinals can get a deal done soon so they can evaluate the next steps for the organization.

More MLB: Cardinals-Tigers Trade Pitch To Move On From Nolan Arenado

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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