Inside The Cardinals

One Blockbuster Trade Cardinals Should Make While Rumors Are Hot

The St. Louis Cardinals should get a deal done...
Patrick McAvoy|
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
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

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St. Louis CardinalsSeattle Mariners

The St. Louis Cardinals arguably should take advantage of all of the rumors around the organization right now with the Winter Meetings just days away from kicking off.

The guy to watch is Brendan Donovan. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that his market "remains conflagrant" right now, meaning it is on fire. Earlier in the offseason, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Donovan's market could reach as many as half of the teams in the league, potentially up to 22 teams.

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One team that has been linked to St. Louis that the Cardinals should call is the Seattle Mariners. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported that Seattle has interest in the versatile All-Star.

What could a deal look like? Let's dive in with a mock trade that both sides should consider.

Should the Cardinals make a trade?

Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller
Oct 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller (50) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning during game five of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Cardinals receive: RHP Bryce Miller, Outfielder Tai Peete (No. 12 prospect)

Mariners receive: Infielder Brendan Donovan, LHP JoJo Romero, RHP Tanner Franklin (No. 20 prospect)

Here's why:

First and foremost, this is a mock trade and is one person's opinion. Some may love it, some may hate it. But let's dive in. Jude reported that the Mariners have interest in Donovan and also reported they have interest in Romero, which is why those two names were mentioned. In this scenario, the Mariners get an All-Star utility man, a reliever coming off a big year, and a lottery prospect.

The Cardinals get a 27-year-old pitcher who won't be a free agent until 2030 and a lottery ticket prospect of their own. It would be awesome to get Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, or George Kirby, but that just doesn't seem realistic. Miller had a 2.94 ERA in 31 starts in 2024. He struggled a bit in 2025, but if the Cardinals could get a hold of someone like Miller, it would be worth getting a trade done. He has No. 1 upside and would give the Cardinals much-needed stability.

More MLB: Brendan Donovan's Trade Market On Fire Ahead Of Winter Meetings

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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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