The St. Louis Cardinals have started their rebuilding process with the trade of Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

*PREDICTION*

The Cardinals have failed to develop talent as they did in the early 2000’s, and that has set them back tremendously. Since the organization is unwilling to spend, they have to enter a rebuild.

Their recent attempt at a push for National League Central dominance has failed, and it’s time to decide who they plan to build around and who has enough value to trade away.

The New York Mets have had an intriguing offseason, and it seems that the team is putting together a roster to compete without signing a big-name free agent.

That is why the New York Mets will trade for Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals.

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Brendan Donovan Traded to the New York Mets

The St. Louis Cardinals have already traded away many of their big names on the roster. They traded Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras, who all had no-trade clauses. The one trade piece they have left on their team that holds any significant amount of trade value is Brendan Donovan.

Donovan made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2022 and has a Gold Glove and an All-Star nod to his name. He is an excellent defensive infielder with an above-average bat at the plate.

Donovan may only top out around 20 home runs for a season, but he is a disciplined hitter with a career .282 batting average and .361 on-base percentage.

An extra-base machine would be the best way to label him, and second base is a position that lacks above-average hitters.

Donovan, at only 28 years old, has garnered plenty of interest from around the league as a trade candidate, but a deal has not been made yet. If the Cardinals are serious about their rebuild, they might as well get the most from what they currently have.

The New York Mets traded Jeff McNeil to the Athletics and brought in Marcus Semien from the Texas Rangers. Semien is 35 and is limited to second base with Francisco Lindor at shortstop. 

Donovan, however, is much more expandable around the field. He can play third base and left field as well. He’d be an upgrade both at the plate and in the field over Mark Vientos and Tyrone Taylor.

Donovan would help the Mets create more runs with his ability to hit for extra bases. A move like this would solve a problem for the next several years, unlike trading for a plug-and-play aging veteran like Semien.

What Would a Trade Package Look Like?

With Donovan entering his prime at only 28 years old, St. Louis could view Donovan as highly valued. The Cardinals need to maximize their fire sale and get as many top prospects as they can to help prepare for the future.

The Mets currently have four players ranked in the top 100 via MLB.com, and the Cards should ask for at least two of those players.

No. 30 Jett Williams and No. 46 Jonah Tong should be a good starting point to ask for. That is the bottom two of who the Mets have ranked in the top 100.

The Cardinals should be aggressive and ask for more, and then negotiate down to at least those two players if all else fails. The Mets should be willing to do whatever it takes, as their window to win a championship is now, and owner Steve Cohen is desperate to win a World Series.

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