Pirates Should Trade for Cardinals All-Star
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need consistent, every day bats in their lineup and have targeted different players this offseason to fill that role.
Free agency has proved unsuccessful for the Pirates, who have missed out on key players so far that they would've loved to have on the 2026 roster.
Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals is one of the most valued pieces on the trade market and someone the Pirates have shown interest in this offseason.
Donovan would not only fill this role for the Pirates, but is someone that they would have a much easier time acquiring.
Why the Pirates Should Trade for Brendan Donovan
The Pirates have targeted left-handed hitters in free agency and via trade, as they are looking for more home runs in 2026.
PNC Park is also more favorable for left-handed batters, as the right field wall is much closer than the left field wall, especially near deep center field.
Donovan is a left-handed batter and is someone that consistently gets on base, season after season.
Season | Batting Average | On-Base Percentage | Slugging Percentage | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | .281 | .394 | .379 | .773 |
2023 | .284 | .365 | .422 | .787 |
2024 | .278 | .342 | .417 | .759 |
2025 | .287 | .353 | .422 | 775 |
Season | Runs | Hits | Doubles | Home Runs | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 64 | 110 | 21 | 5 | 45 |
2023 | 48 | 93 | 10 | 11 | 34 |
2024 | 65 | 163 | 34 | 14 | 73 |
2025 | 64 | 132 | 32 | 10 | 50 |
He is coming off a great season in 2025, where he slashed .287/.353/.422 for an OPS of .775 in 118 games, with 194 total bases and 42 walks to 67 strikeouts, earning his first All-Star nod.
Donovan is also a versatile, defensive player, capable of playing both corner outfield spots and every position in the infield.
He started 91 of 100 games at second base for the Cardinals in 2025 and 91 out of 105 games in left field in 2024.
The Pirates need an everyday left fielder and also third base, where he's played 46 games in his career.
Donovan won a Gold Glove Award as a utility player in 2022 and had seven defensive runs saved at third base, which makes him a strong candidate for that spot as well.
Will the Pirates Trade for Donovan?
The Pirates have struggled landing players in free agency this offseason, missing out on players like Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Polanco, Josh Naylor and Pete Alonso.
Pittsburgh will have to overpay for top talent in free agency and the options they have at their disposal are running out.
The trade market provides players like Donovan, who fill positions of need on the roster and also makes them a better team offensively.
The Pirates were one of the worst hitting teams in 2025, with the lowest slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655), the third lowest batting average (.231) and the eighth lowest on-base percentage (.305).
Pittsburgh also scored the least runs (583) and drove in the least RBIs (561), both lower than the 43-119 Colorado Rockies. They also hit the least home runs (117) and had the seventh most strikeouts (1,422).
Donovan will command a hefty return, with the Cardinals reportedly wanting many top prospects and wouldn't trade him unless they are "blown away", according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
The Pirates do have great prospects in their system and young talented starting pitching that the Cardinals would desire.
Pittsburgh would have to decide if they are willing to part ways with that starting pitching for someone like Donovan, who still has three years of team control.
Donovan Fits a Similar Profile for Pirates Needs
Pittsburgh has already looked at similar left-handed batters on the Cardinals in Alec Burleson, Nolan Gorman and Lars Nootbaar, who all play many different positions.
The Pirates also has targeted left-handed hitting second baseman in Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets and Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays.
All of those players have had many seasons of consistent hitting the Pirates would desire and most of them have hit for power.
Donovan is along the line of those players that the Pirates want, which makes sense for them to trade for him.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.