Cardinals Prediction: Brendan Donovan Goes To AL East

The trade market is starting to pick up some steam across Major League Baseball, and all eyes should be on Brendan Donovan at this point.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, and Houston Astros completed a three-team deal centered around All-Star infielder Brandon Lowe. He was one of the most popular infield trade candidates out there, along with Brendan Donovan and Ketel Marte. Now, Lowe is off the market and Donovan and Marte are still out there.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

For Donovan specifically, the two teams that have been linked to him the most are the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners. The Athletic's Katie Woo reported on Dec. 13 that the Mariners and Giants are the "front-runners" for the Cardinals' All-Star.

The Cardinals should be calling everyone

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 Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants have emerged as front-runners for St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan, sources familiar with negotiations tell The Athletic, with the Cardinals looking to land multiple top prospects in a return," Woo wrote. "The Cardinals, who are in the midst of a rebuild under first-year president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, have been shopping Donovan throughout the offseason."

Predictions and speculation have popped up left and right, with most centered around the Giants and Mariners. But, let's try something different.

Obscure Brendan Donovan Prediction: St. Louis sends Donovan to the Rays

Bear with me for a second. The Rays just traded an All-Star infielder. Why add another? Lowe had his $11.5 million club option picked up for 2026 and will be a free agent after. Donovan is cost-controlled for two seasons. It has been rumored that the Cardinals want multiple top prospects for Donovan. The Rays acquired Anderson Brito in the Lowe trade, who is now Tampa Bay's No. 6-ranked prospect. Tampa Bay also has right-handed pitcher Brody Hopkins as the team's No. 3 prospect. If the Cardinals could poach either plus an offensive prospect, it should have the Cardinals' attention.

Tampa Bay has to compete with the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees. If the Rays acquire someone like Donovan, they would have an All-Star-level infielder at a lower cost than Lowe and just added prospects that easily could be re-routed.

There have been rumors about Tampa Bay and Ketel Marte, but Donovan is significantly cheaper. The Cardinals should place a call.

More MLB: Cardinals Officially Keeping 27-Year-Old Outfielder