After months of speculation, the St. Louis Cardinals traded Brendan Donovan — one of the most coveted infielders this winter — to the Seattle Mariners as part of a three-team deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. True to their stance all offseason, the Cardinals, who desired multiple top prospects for Donovan, did not budge on the return.

In exchange for Donovan, St. Louis landed top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje, 2023 first-rounder Tai Peete and a competitive-balance Round B pick from Seattle, as well as outfielder Colton Ledbetter and a second competitive-balance Round B pick from Tampa Bay. Cijntje, who pitches from both the left and right side, is a consensus top-100 prospect. Both Peete and Ledbetter were considered top-30 prospects in their prior organizations.

Cardinals’ brass has refrained from dubbing their season as a rebuild, but the team’s moves clearly say otherwise. Donovan was the fourth major trade of the winter for new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, who said at his introductory press conference in September he’d prioritize the organization’s long-term sustainability over short-term success.

Since then, Bloom has traded an All-Star from the roster each month of the offseason. In November, Sonny Gray was dealt to the Red Sox, with Willson Contreras following him in December. The Nolan Arenado saga finally came to an end in mid-January, when he was dealt to the Diamondbacks.

All three veterans held full no-trade clauses, and in order to complete each deal, Cardinals ownership had to take on a considerable amount of salary, a stance they have been unwilling to take for the majority of their 30-year tenure. The Cardinals paid a combined $59 million to trade Arenado, Contreras and Gray.

The rationale of trading Donovan, who turns 29 this year and has two years of team control remaining, came down to the prospect return. The Cardinals and Mariners had conversed all season, and while negotiations stalled multiple times, Seattle was always believed to be the Cardinals’ preferred trade partner. It helped to have familiarity through director of pitching Matt Pierpont, who spent several years with the Mariners before joining the Cardinals ahead of the 2025 season.

Since last season’s trade deadline, the Cardinals have added 11 pitching prospects, four position-playing prospects, two additional draft picks and international bonus pool money.

An All-Star for the first time last season, Brendan Donovan was one of the winter’s most coveted trade chips. (John Fisher / Getty Images)

Of those pitching prospects, Hunter Dobbins (acquired from Boston in exchange for Contreras) and Richard Fitts (acquired from Boston in exchange for Gray) will have a shot to compete in this year’s starting rotation. The Cardinals also hold the 13th overall pick in the MLB Draft after picking fifth overall (infielder JJ Wetherholt) in 2024 and seventh overall (left-hander Liam Doyle) in 2025. This all falls in line with Bloom and ownership’s goal to establish the Cardinals as a premiere draft and development club once more.

Payroll is a top factor when a team is rebuilding, and the Cardinals’ projected payroll is expected to fall under $100 million for the first time since 2010. The Cardinals will also be a revenue-sharing recipient for the first time in at least 25 years. The club is expecting to see a significant drop in gate revenue this year following historically-low attendance in 2025.

The team, along with several other MLB clubs, also announced its departure from its regional sports channel, FanDuel Sports Network, and will partner under MLB’s broadcasting umbrella this season. The move will result in a significant cut in television revenue. Per a league source, the Cardinals are expected to see roughly $20 million in broadcast revenue this season, down significantly from the roughly $60 million they expected last year.

After posting a losing record in two of their last three seasons, the Cardinals have firmly set their sights on a direction. Rebuilding, once an unconscionable concept in St. Louis, is what Bloom believes is necessary over the next two to three years as the Cardinals look to reassert themselves.

Cardinals also looking for an outfielder

Bloom’s major trades are likely done, but he did not rule out one more addition before the season begins. In a videoconference call with St. Louis reporters, Bloom said he’d like to add to the club’s outfield.

Over the last few weeks, the Cardinals have been looking to add a right-handed outfielder, though one of their targets, Austin Hays, signed with the White Sox over the weekend. Miguel Andujar and former Cardinal Randal Grichuk remain on the market, but Bloom could also swing a smaller trade. Any addition, whether through trade or free agency, will likely be on a one- or two-year deal.

The Cardinals did look to boost areas of their roster, specifically with cost-effective veterans who could be flipped at the deadline. St. Louis signed right-hander Dustin May to a one-year, $12 million deal in December, with a $20 million mutual option and a $500,000 buyout. In January, it added righty reliever Ryne Stanek on a one-year, $3.5 million pact with a club option for 2027 worth $6 million.

Should Bloom add an outfielder through free agency, expect a similarly structured deal.

Victor Scott II is expected to be the club’s starting center fielder but Nathan Church will see reps as well. It’s also a prove-it year for Jordan Walker, who turns 24 in May. Lars Nootbaar might not be ready for Opening Day as he recovers from double-heel surgery, but he is not expected to miss more than a few weeks if that is the case. Having an experienced veteran patrol the outfield, especially if Nootbaar starts the year on the IL, would give St. Louis some insurance as its younger talent navigates through the early season.

Pirates have interest in Ozuna

The Pittsburgh Pirates remain open to another lineup addition, people familiar with the club’s thinking said. Among the players that interest them is designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, the No. 38-ranked player on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board.

The Pirates’ lineup contains enough versatility to accommodate someone who profiles mostly as a DH, but things could get tricky. A potential addition of Ozuna could alter playing time for Jake Mangum and Spencer Horwitz, who are projected to play left field and first base, respectively.

The Pirates added Ryan O’Hearn on a two-year, $29 million deal earlier in the offseason. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

With someone like Ozuna at DH, Ryan O’Hearn, the club’s big free-agent signing, would likely split time between first base and left field. In right field, Bryan Reynolds isn’t going anywhere. Reynolds improved from a minus-5 fielding run value before the All-Star break to a plus-1 fielding run value after the All-Star break, per Baseball Savant.

It’s hard to see the Pirates taking away much time from Horwitz given the 28-year-old’s promising 120 OPS-plus through parts of three seasons. Also, left field is spacious at PNC Park, where Mangum’s speed should play well. The Pirates are looking to add, but they want to be smart about playing time and matchups.

Pittsburgh’s versatility allows for them to play matchups, but there’s room for offensive improvement at third base, left field and DH — all three profile as the club’s weakest spots, according to FanGraphs’ Depth Charts’ projections. They could use more thump in the middle of the order whether it’s with someone like Ozuna at DH or a trade candidate at third base. As things stand, Jared Triolo profiles as the Pirates’ third baseman, but he could be a utility player with an ability to play all four infield positions.

One more addition for Red Sox?

While acquiring a right-handed infielder stands as more of a priority for the Boston Red Sox, the club is also exploring the possibility of adding a right-handed hitting outfielder, league sources said.

The Red Sox lineup is generally left-handed heavy. Infield help in that regard is more of a need. But center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is Boston’s lone right-handed batting outfielder (aside from Nick Eaton, who profiles as a bench possibility). The rest of Boston’s outfield corps — Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida — all bat from the left side.

Along with Grichuk, Starling Marte and Tommy Pham are among the right-handed batting outfielders remaining in free agency. Against lefties last season, Grichuk (34) had a .703 OPS, Marte (37) had a .733 OPS and Pham (37) had a .651 OPS. Over the last three seasons against lefties, Grichuk (501 plate appearances) owns a .857 OPS while Marte (356 plate appearances) checks in at .748 and Pham (418 plate appearances) is at .716.

Ty France could expand to second base

A couple of teams have asked the free agent first baseman about playing some second base, league sources said. Those same clubs primarily see France as a first baseman. Last season, he won the American League Gold Glove Award at first base. But France came up as a third baseman and logged 21 games at second base in 2021.

He routinely takes ground balls before games at all three positions. While teams wouldn’t be looking to start France at second base, the versatility could be helpful. While playing for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays last season, France slashed .257/.320/.360 with seven home runs in 490 plate appearances.