It would be pretty surprising if this offseason went the way the last one did for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Last year, St. Louis said that it wanted to make trades and “reset” the organization, but there was nothing to show for it. The Cardinals were unable to trade away veteran players, like Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Miles Mikolas, and opted to enter the season with a very similar-looking roster to 2024.
Things worked out early on, but then the club started to struggle around the All-Star break and eventually sold off before the deadline. The rumors are back, to say the least, now. With a new executive leading the charge, this offseason already feels different.
Unfortunately, most of the offseason will likely be spent talking about how current members of the Cardinals can help teams closer to contention because St. Louis isn’t in that position itself. An example is that ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggested one “perfect” move for teams close to contention and floated Brendan Donovan to the Cleveland Guardians.
“The perfect transaction: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Cleveland needs offense,” Passan said. “And with the Guardians rarely dipping significantly into the free agent market, that makes a trade a tantalizing option. Cleveland’s minor league system has plenty of talent, and few know it as well as Rob Cerfolio, the St. Louis Cardinals assistant GM who was previously the Guardians’ farm director.
Should the St. Louis Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan?
Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) runs to third base against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
“It just so happens the Cardinals, who will spend the winter in trade mode, have a player who can handle second base until Travis Bazzana is ready and then shift to a corner outfielder or even spend some time at shortstop. Trade for St. Louis super utilityman Brendan Donovan.”
Passan’s list included a move for each of the 12 teams that made it to the playoffs as well as nine others. Even with transactions for 21 teams being floated, the Cardinals were not viewed as close to contention.
Trading Donovan would hurt the organization because he provides a lot on the field and in the clubhouse. But, St. Louis has a lot of work to do and it doesn’t seem like anyone is safe to begin the offseason.
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