Red Sox, Cardinals Linked Again In Potential All-Star Trade

Are there no other teams to trade with?

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 Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals must be tired of chatting so much.

Two big trades that sent All-Star contributors from the Cardinals to the Red Sox dominated the storylines of November and December. Boston is undoubtedly better off with Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras in the fold, but they've sent a total of five pitchers to St. Louis.

But with a month to go before spring training and the Red Sox clearly needing an infielder, there seems to be little the Sox can do to avoid being linked to Cardinals All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan.

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Insider links Red Sox to Cardinals' Brendan Donovan... again

After a busy hot stove week across Major League Baseball, Bob Nightengale of USA Today named Donovan as a top potential trade fit for the Red Sox in a column on Friday.

"And, oh, the Red Sox still have a huge vacancy in the infield after missing out in Bregman," Nightengale wrote. "They have the starting pitching, and could certainly acquire St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan."

Donovan is the type of player every Cardinals fan appreciates more than the average neutral baseball fan. He can play second base and corner outfield at a high level defensively, and he's a pesky hitter, even if he doesn't provide much in the way of power.

Boston's infield with Donovan would consist of four potentially solid bats, but no obvious stars. That would make the loss of Bregman more painful, in a sense, but the Red Sox have to govern for the future rather than trying to fix their past mistakes.

Isaac Paredes of the Houston Astros is right-handed, hits for more power than Donovan, and comes with the same amount of remaining control.

There are clearly options on the table, and the Red Sox have a month to make their decisions. Getting Donovan would be better than doing nothing, but a more logical argument can be made for Paredes.

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