Insider: Cardinals & Red Sox Talking Trade For THIRD TIME This Offseason

The Boston Red Sox have already added two St. Louis Cardinals in trades this offseason, in separate deals for starting pitcher Sonny Gray, and first baseman Willson Contreras as of late Sunday evening. But it appears that the BoSox are going back to the well for a third time, as insider Ken Rosenthal is reporting on Monday evening that they're now in discussions surrounding Brendan Donovan.

The Cardinals and Red Sox also have discussed a trade that would send infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to Boston, according to people briefed on the conversations. Donovan likely would play second base for the Red Sox...
Donovan almost certainly would bring a greater return than Gray or Contreras, whom the Cardinals acquired for five minor-league pitchers.

Donovan, a Gold Glove super-utility guy, has been one of the hottest names on the trade market this offseason, with plenty of teams around the majors connected to him. The Red Sox will have particular competition from two West Coast teams who are thought to be a couple of the frontrunners to land Donovan.

However, Boston may have an edge if they are truly in the conversation. To say that new Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is familiar with the Red Sox system would be an understatement. He was the Chief Baseball Officer in Boston from 2019 through to 2023. So yet another deal between the two sides would not be surprising at this point, after the previous two

As Rosenthal writes, "No word yet on whether Bloom is prepared to send the Gateway Arch to Boston in an even bigger blockbuster."

Donovan, 28, batted .287 last season with a .775 OPS, in his first All-Star campaign. He was a Gold Glover at the Utility spot in 2022.