Cardinals Could Invest Nearly $80 Million To Retain Gold Glover, Per Insider

St. Louis doesn't want to lose the fan favorite

Sep 5, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the hat and glove of St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (not pictured) before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are committed to reducing their payroll heading into 2025 but they must eventually spend money to rebuild the floundering franchise.

With Opening Day two months away, the Cardinals haven't spent much of anything this offseason. Of the players St. Louis has in arbitration this winter, only flamethrower Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, and John King reached an agreement with the organization.

Skimping homegrown players during arbitration can only persist until the Cardinals must move on from someone or agree to a contract extension. A St. Louis fan favorite could be due for a handsome payday after recently failing to secure his future with the 11-time World Series champions.

"The Padres signed Jake Cronenworth to a seven-year extension worth $80 million when he was at (Brendan) Donovan's service time level a few years ago," CBS Sports' Mike Axisa wrote Monday when predicting potential contract extensions. "That's a pretty solid contract benchmark for Donovan."

Donovan has batted .280 with 100 extra-base hits including 30 home runs, 152 RBIs and a .771 OPS throughout his three-year career with the Cardinals.

"If the Cardinals prefer something shorter term, a three-year contract that buys out Donovan's arbitration years but no free-agent years could be the sweet spot," Axisa continued. "That would give Donovan security and the Cardinals cost certainty over his arbitration years. Does $3 million in 2025, $6 million in 2026, and $10 million in 2027 for a total of $19 million do the trick?"   

Considering the Cardinals don't typically commit to long-term deals with position players, such as Donovan, it seems more likely that the most he'll be offered is an extension through 2028 when he becomes a free agent for the first time.

The 28-year-old utility man is a key piece to the Cardinals' future, so it's concerning that they haven't found a middle ground to meet Donovan. Hopefully, history willn't repeat itself after another former St. Louis star endured a similar path through arbitration before being traded.

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