Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Nearing Blockbuster 3-Team Trade to Complete Offseason

The Cardinals have put together quite an exciting offseason this winter...
Zach Pressnell|
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
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

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St. Louis CardinalsSeattle MarinersTampa Bay Rays

The St. Louis Cardinals have opted to rebuild their roster over the past year. Rebuilding is one of the more difficult moves to pull off in baseball because the team has to commit to the future while it's largely unknown.

This offseason, the Cardinals have made three big moves to bolster their future. They traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox early in the winter. Shortly after, they traded Willson Contreras to the Red Sox in a separate deal. Later on, they were able to move Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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This has been a very productive offseason for the Cardinals, but it's not done yet. On Monday, the Cardinals made the biggest move of their winter that should be the perfect cherry on top of the offseason.

Brendan Donovan trade is the cherry on top of the Cardinals offseason

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donova
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

According to multiple reports, including one from ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Cardinals are nearing a blockbuster three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays that would send All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan to the Mariners.

This reported deal would come around a day after the Mariners lost Eugenio Suárez to the Cincinnati Reds in free agency. The Mariners also lost Jorge Polanco to the New York Mets earlier this winter.

While there's no reported return in the deal, it's safe to assume that this will be the biggest prospect return the Cardinals have received over the past calendar year. It should top the Ryan Helsley trade. It should also top the trio of deals this offseason. Depending on the return, the Cardinals could be set up for a very bright future in the coming years.

The only other move the Cardinals could make is a trade that sends JoJo Romero to a contender, but there hasn't been much buzz on that front. If this trade that would send Donovan to Seattle is the final move of the Cardinals' offseason, it would cap off an incredible stretch of six months in St. Louis. The team might be worse now, but the future is much brighter.

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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