Former Red Sox and current Cardinals general manager Cham Bloom has already traded Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from St. Louis to Boston and may not be done dealing with his former club.
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported, “The Cardinals and Red Sox also have discussed a trade that would send infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to Boston, according to people briefed on the conversations. Donovan likely would play second base for the Red Sox, who have also been linked to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte.”
It is a deal that, if presented to them, Red Sox should make.
The team struggled to find consistency at second base in 2025, rotating Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton in and out at the position. Neither was particularly effective at the plate and in an AL East with some strong hitting in New York, Toronto, and even Baltimore, Boston needs to be able to keep pace with a lineup that can get on base and score runs.
Enter Donovan, a 2025 All-Star who gets on base and has been the picture of consistency over the last four years with the Cardinals. He hit .287 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in 118 games last season and his fielding percentage at second base (.990) is above the league average (.986).
He achieved a career-high Offensive Runs Above Average (oRAR) in 2025 with 32.
He has also dabbled in other positions appearing in the outfield and at shortstop as needed.
Not the most dynamic player, someone who will hit 50 home runs a season, Donovan is a steady presence at the plate and puts his team in a position to score by getting on base, regardless of how game-changing it is.
He is a steady presence who scores runs, something the Red Sox did not have from that position last season.
While the team would likely have to pay more for Donovan than they did Gray or Contreras, unless there is a prospect developing in the minors who could step in and provide that level of hitting, it would behoove the organization to make the deal.
Donovan will cost less than Marte and has another season of arbitration before hitting the free agent market in 2028. That gives the Red Sox two years of him until they either have to negotiate a new deal or look elsewhere for a replacement.
While Red Sox fans will inevitably question why the organization would want players who did not win in St. Louis, a change of scenery has done some great players a world of good. Donovan could be one of them. Rolling out the team as it is, with the second base combination of Campbell and Hamilton, will not do.
The team should go get Donovan and focus on developing chemistry with all of the new faces and producing a team that can compete within its loaded division, their eyes on another World Series title.