There are plenty of reasons fans aren’t suited for front-office work, chief among them the need to make difficult decisions with the head rather than the heart.
Case in point: St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Brendan Donovan. Thinking with the heart, Donovan, who turns 29 in January, would never play for a different team, because Donovan represents everything that Cardinals fans want in their players.
He’s a versatile grinder, a player who gets his uniform dirty every game. He can play just about anywhere, and gives 100 percent, with Gold Glove-caliber defense, at whatever spot that may be. Donovan can also hit a little bit, with a career slash line of .282/.361/.411.
Donovan is a player that any franchise would love to plug into its lineup. And with two more years of team control before he reaches unrestricted free agency, Donovan, who Spotrac estimates will earn a salary in 2026 of $5.75 million, is a player that any franchise could easily afford.
Which is why, when thinking with the head, this is the perfect time to trade him.
Trading Brendan Donovan Aligns With Commitment to Player Development
The Cardinals are entering a new era, with Chaim Bloom taking over as the president of baseball operations. Having missed the playoffs for a third straight season, the team is fully committed to player development in hopes of rebuilding its pipeline and reclaiming its status as a top-tier franchise.
It will likely take a few seasons for the Cardinals to strengthen their foundation and fortify the organization from top to bottom. By the time the team is ready to once again challenge for NL supremacy, Donovan’s prime years will likely be behind him.
“There are a lot of positives about Brendan Donovan,” Randy Karraker recently stated, “positives that at this stage of their existence, the Cardinals really can't utilize because he's a player that's ready to win right now and they aren't an organization that's ready to win right now.”
But reports suggest there are several organizations ready to win right now who are interested in bringing Donovan aboard, and the potential for a bidding war could lead to very intriguing trade packages that would provide a significant boost to the Cardinals’ rebuilding efforts. With the offseason barely underway, discussion indicates that the list of potential trade partners includes the Royals, Guardians, Astros, Yankees, and Dodgers.
Potential Suitors Have Interesting Pitchers to Offer
So what could St. Louis realistically expect in return for Donovan? On a recent STL Sports Central podcast, Karraker and Matthew Rocchio examined a possible match with Kansas City and opined that the Cardinals could be seeking a pair of pitchers, including one middle-of-the-rotation arm, such as Kris Bubic, and a prospect who is near MLB-ready, like their No. 7 prospect Ben Kudrna.
From the Guardians, a similar pairing might be Parker Messick and Khal Stephen, who was acquired from Toronto in the Shane Bieber deal. The Astros could offer up Miguel Ullola and Ethan Pecko. The Yankees might pair up Will Warren with one of several minor league arms, such as Ben Hess, Brock Selvidge, or Brendan Beck. The Dodgers have options at both the major league (Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski) and minor league (Jackson Ferris, River Ryan, Adam Serwinowski) levels.
And that’s where the bidding war leans in the Cardinals’ favor. Because the team that ultimately gets the prize could be the one that adds an extra piece from its top 30 prospects, like an exciting young outfielder, or a power hitting first baseman.
As long as the Cardinals use their head.