Predictions For Cardinals Trade Chips Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan

December is just about here and we should see an uptick in moves made around Major League Baseball very soon.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of just a few teams that already have dipped their toes in the trade market. St. Louis flipped Sonny Gray and cash for two young pitchers. There aren't many teams that can say they've made a deal that big already this offseason, aside from St. Louis. That just shows how aggressive the front office is and how the team has shifted with the baton passing to Chaim Bloom as the team's president of baseball operations.

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Where should the Cardinals' top trade chips go?

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) runs home after his solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Over the next few weeks, the two guys Cardinals fans should have their eyes on the most are Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. Arenado has been at the center of rumors for a year and Donovan is one of the hottest names out there right now.

With that being said, here are predictions how the Cardinals handle Arenado and Donovan.

Nolan Arenado: Traded to the Los Angeles Angels
There are some legs to this idea. Los Angeles was interested in Arenado before, but he reportedly shut the idea down back in January, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

"In December, the Cardinals agreed to trade Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Houston Astros, but he exercised his no-trade clause," Nightengale wrote on Aug. 3. He had a chance to be traded to the Los Angeles Angels in January. He turned it down."

Now, reports have surfaced indicating that Los Angeles is in talks about buying out infielder Anthony Rendon's deal. Los Angeles clearly had interest in Arenado in the past and now could use a third baseman. It doesn't hurt that Arenado is from the area as well. If the Cardinals and Arenado both want to get a trade done, this is a team that could give them a shot.

Brendan Donovan: Trade to the Houston Astros
Donovan is one of the hottest names out there. Any team in baseball, realistically, would be better with Donovan on it. That makes it difficult to predict where he will go, but the Houston Astros have gotten a lot of buzz recently. MLB Network's Jon Morosi called a pairing "as perfect a match as you are going to find." Houston has some young pitching and the Cardinals have a star who can play all over the field that the Astros need.

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