Cardinals Still Have Third Brendan Donovan Suitor After Mariners, Giants

For the St. Louis Cardinals, it's good to have options right now.

The rebuild is on in the Gateway City, and after trading Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox last month, second baseman/outfielder Brendan Donovan is arguably president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom's best remaining trade chip.

Late last week, Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants were the two front-runners to acquire Donovan. But a third possibility remains, according to Woo's counterpart at the publication, Ken Rosenthal.

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Royals still in picture for Donovan?

Jun 3, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) slides head first in to second base for a double against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Rosenthal reported Monday that the Kansas City Royals are still targeting Donovan after adding outfielders Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins last week. However, Rosenthal's hunch was that if Donovan were to be sent to the Royals, a third team would have to get involved in the deal.

"The path for (the Mariners and Giants) to Donovan is cleaner than it is for the Royals," Rosenthal wrote. "To make a deal happen, the Royals probably would need to orchestrate a three-way swap, trading left-hander Kris Bubic for prospects they could redirect to the Cardinals.

"Bubic, projected to earn $6 million in arbitration before becoming a free agent, is of little interest to St. Louis, a rebuilding club."

Kansas City isn't exactly known for having the greatest farm system, and it's strength is catchers, which the Cardinals already have in excess. So St. Louis can put the onus on its in-state rival -- go get a great prospect package for Bubic, or we'll keep looking elsewhere.

Donovan also settled in as a second baseman for the vast majority of his games last season, and the Royals made the controversial decision to bring back Jonathan India for the final season before his impending free agency, despite India's down year and track record of slipshod defense at the position.

It's far from a clean fit, but at this point, the Cardinals should operate under a mindset of the more competition, the merrier.

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