The Boston Red Sox still need to add an infielder to their roster ahead of the start of spring training. This need increased after the Chicago Cubs agreed to a deal with third baseman Alex Bregman.
So far this season, Boston has completed two trades with the St. Louis Cardinals. The first one was for starting pitcher Sonny Gray, and the most recent one was for first baseman Willson Contreras. Now, the Red Sox should make lightning strike again by pursuing second baseman Brendan Donovan.
Donovan was an on-base machine last season for the Cardinals. In 460 at-bats he produced a .353 on-base percentage and a 119 OPS+ for St. Louis. Even as a player who doesn’t hit for much power, the veteran infielder managed to hit 10 home runs for the Cardinals.
Chaim Bloom is leading the way now for the Cardinals and appears set on tearing the roster down to the ground and rebuilding. If he’s already made two deals with his former club, there’s no reason why a third one can’t happen. Him and Craig Breslow clearly have a strong relationship and know how to negotiate with each other.
Here is one possible trade idea for the two sides:
This deal would provide St. Louis with a pitching prospect in Sandlin that has the potential to reach the major leagues this upcoming season if everything goes right. Otherwise, he will surely be ready to go for 2027. The Cardinals would also receive an outfield prospect in Castro that bounced back last year and hit the ball well at Double-A Portland.
The Red Sox would get Donovan who is on an affordable $5.8 million this year before he goes to arbitration again next winter. It would provide Boston with a strong infielder that has two full years of team control.
If Bloom and Breslow could find a way to get a deal done once again, both clubs would definitely be better of by making it happen.
More MLB: Red Sox Urged to Sign $69 Million Infielder After Reportedly Losing Alex Bregman