MLB Trade Rumors: 3 Teams Named as Cardinals' Brendan Donovan A Near Lock to be Dealt

One of the top trade candidates out there this winter is the St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan. He's coming off his first All-Star selection in 2025, and is extremely versatile, having played 2B, SS, and LF this past season, while also having 1B, 3B and RF in his toolbox. He slashed .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 32 doubles over 118 games. It's his second straight year with numbers that looked pretty much just like that.

Insider Robert Murray of Fansided feels he's a likely trade candidate. "This is a player that a lot of teams really, really, really like. Do I expect him to get moved? I would put him in the 'probably' category."

But fellow insider Jeff Passan went a step further, virtually assuring that Donovan gets dealt, it's just a matter of where.

And Cardinals beat writer Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the number of teams with interest in Donovan could be as many as 22. That's over 75% of MLB clubs.

But let's focus on three teams that Murray says "for sure checked in on Donovan at the (trade) deadline, and have checked in on him as of this moment today."

LA Dodgers

The fit with the Dodgers seems too good to be true. With his multi-positional ability, Donovan could slot in at second, short or third for the World Series champs, or in the outfield—all of them positions that often feature some fluctuating names for the Dodgers in any given season. His bat-to-ball contact skills also fit the Dodgers lineup to a T. The two-time defending champs don't need a whole lot this offseason, but Donovan has 'Dodgers' written all over him.

New York Yankees

On his SiriusXM MLB Network show, former MLB GM and current insider Jim Bowden suggested that a trade of 2025 rookie starter Will Warren could get a deal done for the Yankees. The Cards are looking for young, controllable pitching, while the Yankees could use a high-contact, left-handed bat, per GM Brian Cashman.

Houston Astros

Chandler Rome of The Athletic noted earlier this offseason that the Astros are once again fully in on trying to land Donovan. The Astros asked the 35-year-old Jose Altuve to move off of second base last season as he is in defensive decline. Of course, his work as a left fielder was pretty disastrous as well, as he ranked as one of the worst left fielders in baseball.

But back to second base, Donovan would be a nice addition there, and he could also spell Carlos Correa at third, a player who the team needs to protect with some 'load management'. In addition, first base is a question mark as the team considers trading Christian Walker this offseason.

All in all, Donovan sounds like an All-Star jack-of-all-trades solution for the 'Stros if they could land him.

But again, there are close to 20 other teams that want a piece of this action, so the bidding for Donovan will be fierce.