Inside The Cardinals

New Brendan Donovan Report Good News For Cardinals

Will the St. Louis Cardinals make a change?
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) throws out Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (43) (not pictured) at first base in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images
Sep 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) throws out Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (43) (not pictured) at first base in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

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St. Louis CardinalsHouston AstrosNew York MetsNew York Yankees

With each passing day, it seems more and more likely that Brendan Donovan could end up playing elsewhere in 2026.

He has become a star as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, but rumors have been surfacing about him almost daily at this point. Unsurprisingly, teams around the league want a talented guy like Donovan. You're always going to hear about rumors, but the sheer volume of teams that sound like they are interested in Donovan, is what is good news for St. Louis.

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The Cardinals star has a huge trade market

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

It would be tough to see Donovan go. He's a key piece of this organization. But, it sounds like St. Louis could have a bidding war on its hands. MLB Network's Jon Morosi weighed in on Donovan on Thursday night and said Donovan has a massive market to the point that it is "as much action in the trade market as any other player in Major League Baseball."

"The question is actually not so much who is in Donovan, but who is not," Morosi said. "Because I talked to a source today who said this man has about as much action in the trade market as any other player in Major League Baseball. Because, you think about his bat. He's a great lefty bat and you don't have to pinch hit for him against lefty pitching. He hits good pitching...and he plays above-average defense at a majority of positions on a baseball field...

"A lot of the large market teams love him. The Mets, the Yankees, and by the way the Astros...Donovan to Houston is about as perfect of a match as you are going to find in the trade market. And, again, I would say the majority of teams in Major League Baseball have checked in with the Cardinals on their trade candidates. Donovan, top name on the list."

The more teams that are interested in Donovan, the more the Cardinals can get out of a team for him. For St. Louis, the best-case scenario would be a massive bidding war and it sounds like that already is a reality.

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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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