Two New AL Contenders Could Shake Up Brendan Donovan Sweepstakes

The Cardinals are still receiving a lot of interest.

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrate with first base coach Packy Elkins (86)after hitting a single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have been busy this offseason discussing trades and setting the stage for their rebuild in 2026. They moved Sonny Gray to the Boston Red Sox in November and also recently signed Dustin May to a one-year contract.

But they aren’t done just yet. There’s still a lot of work left to be done for president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom as he fields trade interest in several players.

Brendan Donovan is their top trade chip, with the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners showing the most interest. However, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch lists two other teams that are in the mix.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Two New Teams Emerge In Donovan Sweepstakes

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 Giants and Mariners remain engaged in talks with the Cardinals, and there has also been interest from the Red Sox, Guardians, and several others,” Goold reported.

Donovan hit .287 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI and a .775 OPS during the regular season. He was also the lone All-Star on the Cardinals. 

He has two years left of team control. Both Boston and Cleveland have a lot of young pitching that St. Louis would be interested in. Acquiring that is their goal as they shop Donovan, and the Guardians and Red Sox could shake up the sweepstakes entirely.

He could bring back a massive haul of solid young pitching prospects to help the Cardinals restock their farm system and potentially even add pitching to their Major League roster. Even after signing May, they need at least one more arm in the rotation for depth purposes.

The 28-year-old All-Star is their best hope of adding young pitching and setting themselves up for the future. The rotation was a weakness in 2025, and without Gray, it’s vulnerable if injuries start to pop up.

Regardless, Bloom is listening on Donovan and will do his best to bring back the best possible return. Boston and Cleveland could both get them the young starting pitching they are after and allow them to continue laying the groundwork for the next couple of years.

It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals can get for Donovan or if they even trade him at all. If they don’t receive any offers they like, then Donovan might end up remaining in a Cardinals uniform for at least 2026.

More MLB: Where Cardinals Trade Talks Stand With Willson Contreras, More