The rumors and speculation surrounding the potential of the St. Louis Cardinals trading Brendan Donovan have started to ramp up again after the Cardinals just recently went on to trade Nolan Arenado.
*Prediction*
With these discussions starting back up, many teams will start to be linked to a trade for Brendan Donovan again, but the team that makes the most sense to trade for him now is the San Diego Padres.
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Before Nolan Arenado’s trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks was confirmed, it was rumored that the Padres had interest in trading for him and moving him over to their first base spot. It is now clear they are looking for more infield help to round out their roster ahead of the 2026 season. After missing out on Arenado, they could look to pivot to trade for Brendan Donovan instead.
Trading for Brendan Donovan would work out immensely for the Padres. Donovan hasn’t played a lot at first base, but he has started at least 16 games there over his four-year career so far, showing he is at least willing to play there if needed. Ultimately, he has also played at second base, third base, shortstop, all outfield spots, and even as a designated hitter, which would allow the Padres to try different rotations out to see which works best ahead of the season.
With Brendan Donovan having shown his impact on the offensive side of things as well, with a slash line of .282/.361/.411, 40 home runs, and 202 runs batted in over his career so far, he would be the ideal player they need to add a boost to their lineup alongside Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts.
All around, if the Padres want to further show their commitment to winning this season, while also building the team for the future,, trading for Brendan Donovan is how they accomplish this.