Cardinals Projected To Trade Fan Favorite All-Star To Dodgers

The Cardinals could be in the market for some big moves this offseason...

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) collects a ball hit by the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a very intriguing spot this offseason. They're headed toward a rebuild, which means they're likely to swing a handful of trades before next season.

The Cardinals have already traded Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox. They landed a huge haul in that deal. But they could also look to trade players like Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado before the winter comes to an end.

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Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently put together a blockbuster mock trade that would send Donovan to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for shortstop Emil Morales, pitcher River Ryan, and outfielder Kendall George.

Dodgers could be the perfect trade fit for Brendan Donovan

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

"For years, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernández were invaluable pieces on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster thanks to their combination of offensive production and defensive versatility," Reuter wrote. "Brendan Donovan could fill a similar role. The 2025 All-Star played primarily second base in 2025, but he has logged at least 100 career innings at all four infield spots and both outfield corners, and he is a career .282/.361/.411 hitter over four seasons.

"With club control through 2027 and a reasonable $5.4 million projection for his 2026 salary, the Cardinals will need to be motivated to move him, and his versatility means a long list of potential suitors. Emil Morales hit .314/.396/.515 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs and 70 RBI in 89 games between rookie ball and Single-A in his stateside debut, and he could be a consensus top-50 prospect in baseball by the summer."

Losing Donovan would certainly hurt the Cardinals, but the return in this mock trade would be too much to pass up.

Morales is a star prospect, though he's likely going to be a few years away from a big-league debut. As he continues to grow and develop, he's going to emerge as one of the best prospects in the league.

Ryan could be in the big leagues as soon as he's completely healthy. The righty has suffered a few injuries that have held him back from sticking in the big leagues, but his small sample size in Los Angeles has been solid.

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