The St. Louis Cardinals organization is set to undergo significant change over the next few months.
John Mozeliak, the Cardinals' current president of baseball operations, will step down from his position (which he has held since 2007) at the end of the season and pass the torch to Chaim Bloom, who is serving as Mozeliak's advisor and previously held the Boston Red Sox's chief baseball officer role. That change atop the club's front office hierarchy could have ramifications for its offseason plans, as the Cardinals are expected to miss the postseason for a third consecutive year.
According to an MLB insider, one potential move the Cardinals could make this winter involves shipping off All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan.
Donovan tabbed a 'prime trade candidate' this offseason, per MLB insider
"Infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan was the Cardinals’ lone All-Star this season, but with only two years of club control remaining, he looms as a prime trade candidate," The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote. "As good an example as Donovan is for the Cardinals’ younger players, Donovan might depart as a free agent by the time the team is good again. One of the Cardinals’ problems the past two years is that they’ve gone only halfway in rebuilding efforts. And it hasn’t worked."
ClutchPoints' Joey Mistretta elaborated further on why such a move makes sense for the Cardinals.
"Donovan, 28, earned the first All-Star selection of his career in 2025. Through 113 games played this season [as of Sept. 15], the left-handed hitter has slashed .283/.351/.409 to go along with 10 home runs, 25 doubles and a .760 OPS. Donovan has quietly been one of MLB's better players over the years. From 2022-2025, he has recorded at least a .278 batting average, .342 OBP and .773 OPS in each season," Mistretta wrote.
"St. Louis previously featured one of the more consistent teams in the sport. It seemed as if the Cardinals were in contention almost every year. The 2024 and 2025 campaigns have simply not gone according to plan. Injuries have played a role, but the fact of the matter is that the Cardinals have not performed up to expectations," Mistretta added. "St. Louis could technically wait to trade Donovan even if they decide to enter a rebuild. However, trading him this offseason would lead to a quality return, as he will be fresh off an All-Star season with multiple years of team control remaining on his contract."
Moving Donovan this offseason would create a massive middle-infield void that the Cardinals would need to fill. But the lengthy nature of MLB rebuilds makes dealing away a star player for higher-upside pieces, while also giving big-league opportunities to emerging talents, an oft-utilized tactic.