*This is a prediction*
The Tampa Bay Rays were interested in signing Jorge Polanco before he ultimately signed with the New York Mets. The main reason the Rays ended up pursuing Polanco was because they saw him as a rotational first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter.
The Rays still need someone versatile like that in their lineup if they’re going to push the team forward. The route the Rays can turn to instead is trading with the St. Louis Cardinals for Brendan Donovan.
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St. Louis Cardinals Trade Brendan Donovan to the Tampa Bay Rays
It’s been a topic of discussion all offseason so far, but the St. Louis Cardinals continue to look to revamp their team, and how they are looking to do so is by trading players to get assets that they need back in return to build better the future. Chaim Bloom is the new president of baseball operations, and is looking to make a difference early on. The player that St. Louis can look to trade to get immense value back in return is Brendan Donovan.
The Tampa Bay Rays just traded away Brandon Lowe, creating a bit of a void in their infield depth. Trading Lowe, who was on an expiring contract made sense, which also leads to trading for Brendan Donovan making sense. Donovan still has two years left on team control, making sense more contractually for the Rays.
What makes Brendan Donovan an even more attractive trade target is the fact that he will be just entering his fifth season in MLB, and over his career has already flashed his offensive upside with a .282/.361/.411 slash line with 40 home runs and 202 runs batted in. With Donovan’s versatility that has led to him playing second base, third base, first base, and all outfield spots, he can be the utility player that the Rays need to further propel to team back to being contenders in 2026.