Trade Rumors Persist, but Cardinals Should Hold Onto All-Star

It's time to pull him off the market.

Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a productive offseason shedding salary and offloading veteran players to kick off their first rebuild in over three decades. Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray are all gone.

However, none of those three players were the top trade chip on the Cardinals' roster that was going to bring back a haul of prospects. Instead, that is Brendan Donovan, who the Cardinals have set a high asking price for.

According to Katie Woo, the Cardinals won't trade Donovan unless they are blown away by an offer. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet, and with that in mind, it might be best to just keep Donovan in St. Louis, at least to start 2026.

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Cardinals Should Hold Onto Brendan Donovan

Sep 12, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second base Brendan Donovan (33) gets a base hit against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

While trading Donovan makes sense, the Cardinals should only do it if they get the best possible offer. Again, it's clear that hasn't happened just yet.

While the Cardinals do have a lot of left-handed bats and could stand to trim some of the fat, Donovan is by far the best of the bunch. He is the table-setter for St. Louis, and they need that presence in their lineup, even if they are rebuilding.

It's also important to have a veteran voice around in a young clubhouse. With Gray, Arenado and Contreras gone, the Cardinals don't have that veteran leadership.

Donovan has emerged as a clubhouse leader, and it's going to be important to have somebody the younger players can lean on as the team enters a new phase.

This also isn't going to be their last opportunity to trade Donovan. He has two years of club control remaining, and if they are out of the race at the trade deadline, then another opportunity to trade Donovan will present itself to Chaim Bloom and the front office.

There is value in keeping Donovan rather than letting him go, and the Cardinals should only consider trading him if the offers they receive are ones they can't refuse.

That just hasn't happened yet, and with spring training approaching, it seems unlikely that they'll get what they're looking for in the next few weeks.

So, for now, fans should expect Donovan to at least start the year in a Cardinals uniform and stay until the deadline at the earliest.

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