Cardinals Fan Favorite All-Star Emerges As Top Trade Chip

The Cardinals will likely look to cut ties with All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan...

Sep 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrate after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have opted to blow up their roster in an attempt to kickstart a rebuild in a big way this winter.

They began by trading Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox before trading Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks. These three trades sent a haul of prospects back to St. Louis.

But the Cardinals are likely still looking to make moves. Brendan Donovan is their top trade chip left on the roster, but players like Lars Nootbaar and JoJo Romero could be moved, too. Donovan's one of the better second basemen in the league right now.

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Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently suggested the Cardinals would trade Donovan in the coming weeks, as he's one of the best infielders left on the trade block. This idea should become even more likely after Bo Bichette landed with the New York Mets in free agency.

Brendan Donovan is likely the next Cardinals star to be traded

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

"While the Cardinals presumably aren't actively trying to unload Donovan's two remaining years of team control in the same way that they worked to dump the bloated contracts of Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado, there's no chance they're telling interested parties that he's untouchable—especially if they're ready to find out what 2024 first-round pick JJ Wetherholt can do as the everyday second baseman," Miller wrote.

The Cardinals will almost certainly trade Donovan in the coming weeks. He's entering the final year of his contract, and it doesn't seem like the Cardinals are working toward a new deal. Trading him would net a haul of prospects that would be worth more to their future than Donovan is.

Teams like the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox make sense as suitors. The Red Sox lost Alex Bregman in free agency and haven't added an infielder to replace him. The Mariners are in the same boat with Jorge Polanco. Both teams would benefit from adding an All-Star second baseman to their roster.

The Cardinals should hunt big league ready talent in a deal involving Donovan. It shouldn't be too difficult to land the prospects they want, considering how valuable the star second baseman is.

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