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The St. Louis Cardinals have a mindset to step up in the National League Central next season. After three years where they failed to gain a spot in the postseason, they are determined to improve their baseball team in any way that president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom can manage. That means making several moves during the offseason, and one of them may involve trading infielder Brendan Donovan .
Baseball insider Jon Morosi reported that there are multiple teams interested in talking to Bloom and the Cardinals about Donovan. Those teams include the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers , the New York Mets and quite possibly the Philadelphia Phillies if they can't hold on to slugger Kyle Schwarber .
Donovan is a versatile performer who can play 2nd base, 3rd base or left field. He made the National League All-Star team last year and he won a Gold Glove as a rookie in the 2022 season. Donovan slashed .287/.353/.422 last year with 10 home runs and 50 runs batted in. He was even more productive in 2024 when he hammered a career-best 14 home runs and drove in 73 runs while slashing .278/.342/.417.
Donovan is a bit of an old-school player because he regularly puts the ball in play and avoids strikeouts. He fanned 67 times in 515 plate appearances, and many teams will give consideration to a player who will make contact.
The Cardinals last won the National League Central during the 2022 season when they finished the regular season with a 93-69 record. They lost the Wild Card Series 2-0 to the Philadephia Phillies and have not been back in the playoffs since.
The 2023 season was a disaster for St. Louis as manager Oliver Marmol 's team fell to last place with a 71-91 record. There was some improvement in 2024 as the Cardinals finished second at 83-79, but they were back under .500 and in fourth place last season with a 78-84 mark.
