Inside The Cardinals

Red Sox Involved In Ongoing Trade Sweepstakes For Cardinals Star

The Cardinals and Red Sox could come together on a trade involving a 2025 All-Star...
Zach Pressnell|
Apr 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrates after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

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The St. Louis Cardinals are clearly heading for a rebuild this winter. They kicked this rebuild off by trading Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a haul of prospects. But the front office is likely looking to make more moves.

They have plenty of players available on the trade block right now including Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado. Arenado is the most likely player to be moved, but Donovan is the most valuable. When looking at suitors, there are plenty of teams around the league that would love to have Donovan, but a lot fewer potential suitors for Arenado.

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Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo of MassLive recently reported the Red Sox were targeting Donovan in a trade this winter.

Brendan Donovan makes sense as a trade target for the Red Sox

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donova
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

"As of Thursday night, the Red Sox remained in pursuit of many of the top position players still on the market, casting a wide net in terms of type of transaction (both free agents and trades) and positional fit," Cotillo wrote. "Boston remains engaged with free agent Alex Bregman, a source said, and is involved in trade talks with Arizona on Ketel Marte as well as Houston on Isaac Paredes.

"The Red Sox are one of many teams interested in Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan, but St. Louis still might hold onto him. A new name has also surfaced for the Red Sox, who according to a source are pursuing Donovan’s teammate, Willson Contreras, in trade talks."

The Red Sox need to add an infielder to their roster as Alex Bregman sits in free agency. Replacing Bregman won't be easy, but adding a versatile All-Star like Donovan would certainly help.

Donovan's defensive versatility would make him quite valuable to the Red Sox. He could slot in at second base, first base, or in the outfield depending on the situation. There's a chance he could play some third base, too.

The Red Sox are one of the more aggressive teams right now, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Donovan land in Boston.

More MLB: Cardinals Predicted To Trade Fan Favorite All-Star To Mariners

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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