Guardians linked to blockbuster offseason trade with St. Louis Cardinals

The Cleveland Guardians need to make a splash this offseason.

With hopes of keeping up with every other growing organization across MLB, the Guardians need to bring in some extra help to capitalize on the prime of future Hall of Famer José Ramírez. The 33-year-old is approaching the tail end of his career, and bringing in another experienced veteran to help lead this young, impressionable Guardians team.

Recently, Donovan has been linked to St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan, a jack-of-all trades fielder and very consistent batter. This offseason, the Cardinals have been in talks with dozens of teams with hopes of bouncing back in 2026, and Donovan's name has been in many conversations.

Ahead of the upcoming Winter Meetings, multiple mock trades have been released involving the Cardinals and Guardians in a move with Donovan.

The Cardinals have made it clear they want to retool, and Brendan Donovan is heavily rumoured to be moved

Here is my mock trade that would send the All-Star 2B and a pair of his teammates to the Guardians for a trio of prospects to shore up the Cardinals pipeline pic.twitter.com/kpvlJqYbTV
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) December 4, 2025

This trade, bringing Donovan, outfielder Lars Nootbaar and lefty JoJo Romero, instantly retools the Guardians' major league squad. Donovan would slide right into the starting lineup for the infield, playing a major role alongside Brayan Rocchio, and Nootbaar would give the Guardians another outfielder to create competition.

Donovan is just 28 years old, but has spent four seasons in the major leagues, including an All-Star selection last year. He's put together a total bWAR of 11.1 across four seasons, to go along with a slashing line of .282/.361/.311 for an OPS of .772. Those numbers stand out as consistent and impactful, combining the ability to get on base and slug for extras.

Romero, who's 28, would also provide a spark of depth and consistency for the bullpen. He amassed a 2.07 ERA across 61 innings in 2025 for the Cardinals. Slotting him alongside current closer Cade Smith would work perfectly.

The three players the Guardians would have to give up are all young, intriguing prospects that would instantly bolster the future of St. Louis.

Left-handed pitcher Parker Messick already proved he has what it takes to play in the majors, throwing in seven starts last season for an ERA of 2.72. Infielder Angel Genao would have the capabilities of replacing Donovan for the Cardinals in a few short years after developing. At just 21 years old, he's already one of the top-ranked prospects in all of MLB.

Lastly, Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson would serve as a starter in the minors before transitioning to a bullpen arm in the majors. He has elite strikeout capabilities, but doesn't fit right now in the current Guardians' system and roster outlook.

While giving up talented youngsters is always going to make someone hold their breath, Cleveland shouldn't fret too much in a trade like this. Instantly, they get better and prove to the rest of the league they are in a win-now situation and legitimately attempting to contend in the playoffs.