Surprise Details Emerge From Cardinals-Brendan Donovan Trade Talks

The St. Louis Cardinals made one of the better moves of the offseason.

Sep 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (21) take his position against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals swung a big-time deal with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays centered around All-Star utility man Brendan Donovan. But it sounds like they aren't the only team that was interested in getting a deal done.

In fact, The Athletic's Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal reported that there were "serious discussions" between the Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros that would've sent Donoan to the Astros instead.

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"In another sign that the Houston Astros are trying to lessen their infield surplus, the team had serious discussions about a three-way trade in which they would have sent Isaac Paredes to Boston and acquired utilityman Brendan Donovan," Rome and Rosenthal wrote. "Donovan ultimately went from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Astros’ American League West rivals, the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox, too, were shut out. Not only did they fail to land Paredes in the three-team deal, but a parallel attempt to acquire Donovan also sputtered, people familiar with the conversations said.

The Cardinals clearly had plenty of trade interest

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

"Boston remains in need of an infielder, and the Astros are still shopping both Paredes and first baseman Christian Walker before Wednesday’s first day of spring training workouts. Multiple league sources have indicated Paredes is more likely to be dealt than Walker, whose cumbersome contract and limited no-trade clause make it more difficult to move him."

For the Cardinals, this doesn't necessarily matter. Competition is good. Clearly, in the end, there was a lot for Donovan. For St. Louis, it landed a massive package from the Mariners and Rays that included three prospects and two draft picks.

Without knowing what the Red Sox and Astros were offering, it's hard to judge. But it's safe to assume the Cardinals wouldn't have accepted a lower offer. So, despite this new report, it doesn't change things for the organization. St. Louis swung a deal that is going to help the club in the long run. That is all that matters.

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