Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Roster Breakdown After Brendan Donovan Stunner

The St. Louis Cardinals are rolling with a very young roster into 2026.
Patrick McAvoy|
Jun 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates in the dugout after he scores during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Jun 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates in the dugout after he scores during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsSeattle Mariners

The St. Louis Cardinals pulled off one of the biggest trades of the Major League Baseball offseason on Monday.

The Athletic's Katie Woo and Chad Jennings broke the news that the Cardinals and Seattle Mariners were "finalizing" a three-team trade to cut ties with Brendan Donovan after a long and rumor-filled offseason.

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St. Louis loses a big-time player in the deal in Donovan. He was an All-Star for a reason in 2025 and can play all over the field. But, the time is now to turn the page and look ahead with Spring Training just about one week away from kicking off.

With Donovan out there door, how will the Cardinals respond? Let's dive in.

The Cardinals have traded Brendan Donovan away

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman 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

Infield
Alec Burleson is expected to pick up the bulk of the duties at first base after Willson Contreras was traded away. Masyn Winn is the team's shortstop and isn't going anywhere in the near future. Second base and third base are up in the air with Arenado and Donovan now out the door. The top options to fill in are No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt, slugger Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese.

Outfield
Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II are expected to be in center field and right field. Lars Nootbaar, when healthy will get the bulk of the action at the other corner outfield spot when healthy. He underwent offseason surgery on both of his heels. The Cardinals also have Nathan Church as a depth option and Burleson could get some action in the corner outfield as well.

Designated Hitter
The two guys to watch out for the most are Iván Herrera and Gorman. Herrera got the bulk of his playing time as DH in 2025 as he dealt with injuries, but he is working his way back behind the plate. He should get chances behind the plate, but surely will get some playing time as DH as well. Gorman is another guy who has gotten a lot of time as DH over the last few seasons.

More MLB: Fallout Of Cardinals-Brendan Donovan Reported Bombshell Trade

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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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