MLB Rumors: Pirates & Cardinals Talking Trade

November 25, 2025 ,
St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan celebrates during 2025 game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are finally acting like a team that knows it has to add real offense, and the first calls are going to a division rival. 

According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Pirates are “checking in with the St. Louis Cardinals on their available left-handed hitters, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman.” 

It's an aggressive lane for a club that just finished near the bottom of the league offensively and sits under a microscope for how little it spends.

Pirates chasing bats as salary floor pressure looms

Rosenthal reports that the Pirates are clearly trying to add salary in advance of a potential new CBA that could introduce a salary floor. Small-market clubs like Pittsburgh, long propped up by revenue sharing, are being watched closely to see whether those dollars actually go into the roster. 

Industry estimates suggest teams like the Pirates receive around seventy million dollars annually in revenue sharing, yet Spotrac pegged Pittsburgh’s 2025 payroll in the mid-80 million range. 

If a future CBA sets a floor closer to one hundred twenty or one hundred thirty million, owner Bob Nutting may either need to spend far more or face real pressure on his long term viability.

Faced with that backdrop, the Pirates are reportedly finding that big name free agents such as Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Polanco and Ryan O’Hearn are likely to pass on offers from a non-contender. 

That has pushed general manager Ben Cherington toward the trade market, where St. Louis controls exactly the type of controllable left handed bats Pittsburgh lacks. 

An anonymous rival executive even suggested that the unpopularity of ownership in Pittsburgh is part of the motivation to finally spend and upgrade around reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and a loaded young rotation.

Cardinals’ caution vs. Pirates’ urgency

From the Cardinals’ perspective, dealing Donovan, Nootbaar or Gorman inside the National League Central is no small choice. St. Louis has missed the postseason three straight years and already sits in trade rumors with multiple veterans, but moving core pieces to a rising division rival would send a complicated message. 

The Cardinals still see themselves as closer to retooling than tearing down, and local voices have argued that even if the Pirates are ready to invest in their roster, St. Louis should be adding talent rather than stripping it away. 

Trading a fan favourite like Donovan to a team that finished 71–91 while you stand pat would not go over well if the Pirates surge and you stall.

For now, Rosenthal stresses that nothing is imminent, and this is more of a situation to monitor than a nearing blockbuster. 

Still, the framework is clear. The Pirates need left handed offense and real salary on the books. They are wary of being frozen out of free agency and are leaning into trades to fix it. 

The Cardinals have exactly the type of bats Pittsburgh wants and a president of baseball operations in Chaim Bloom who has not ruled out in-division deals.

Photo Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Go To: NFL Rumors | NBA Rumors | NHL Rumors