The St. Louis Cardinals have been working toward a rebuild for the last six to eight months. They kicked this rebuild off by trading Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz at the trade deadline last year. This offseason, they’ve continued this rebuild by trading more of their stars.
Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, and Sonny Gray have been moved this offseason, and the Cardinals have landed a haul of prospects in these six trades. They’re certainly set up better for the future right now than they were a year ago.
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The next domino to fall is Brendan Donovan.
Donovan has been linked to a lot of trade buzz over the course of the last year. While the Cardinals haven’t moved him yet, it seems like a deal is inevitable. There are multiple teams, including the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox, that have been closely connected to a trade for Donovan.
Brendan Donovan has more trade value after Eugenio Suárez comes off board
Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) collects a ball hit by the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Donovan’s trade value should have received a huge boost on Sunday. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Cincinnati Reds and slugger Eugenio Suárez have agreed on a one-year deal. But what does this have to do with Donovan or the Cardinals?
Suárez coming off the board directly impacts Donovan’s trade market. There’s now one less option available for the Mariners and Red Sox to sign, so they could be more inclined to target Donovan. This increased need for Donovan makes him a more coveted asset on the trade block.
The Red Sox reportedly never made a formal offer to Suárez, which seems to indicate they weren’t as interested in bringing him in as many expected. Still, they could be forced to turn to the Cardinals and Donovan after Suárez came off the board.
The Mariners have been linked to Donovan the closest. With Suárez officially coming off the board, they’ve lost two infielders this offseason. It seems like their next rational move would be a trade for Donovan to help lessen the blow of these two losses.
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