Latest Red Sox-Cardinals Trade Rumors For All-Star Infielder Not Promising
The Cardinals have already completed two trades with the Red Sox this winter
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is running out of options to replace third baseman Alex Bregman.
Former Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette landed with the New York Mets and the Arizona Diamondbacks traded for ex-St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Luckily for the Red Sox, the Cardinals have another All-Star infielder they are shopping: Brendan Donovan. Problem is, Boston isn’t alone in its pursuit of the Gold Glover.
“The Cardinals continue to field interest in versatile fielder, and those talks could accelerate into a deal at any point,” the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold reports. “Sources have described the Giants and Mariners as teams that have maintained constant interest in Donovan since at least the Winter Meetings, when the Post-Dispatch first reported of those team’s interest.
“Other teams that have been in contact with the Cardinals include the Red Sox as they pursue an infielder and the Royals,” Goold adds.
“With two years remaining before Donovan can reach free agency, the Cardinals saw this winter as a chance to maximize the return they could get on the high-OBP hitter, especially as they pivot into a rebuild,” Goold notes.
Working in the Red Sox’s favor is Breslow’s relationship with former Boston head honcho Chaim Bloom, now the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations.
Twice this offseason Breslow and Bloom have completed deals, with the Red Sox acquiring right-hander Sonny Gray and first baseman Willson Contreras.
Donovan made his MLB debut in 2022 and finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting while winning a Gold Glove Award.
He was an All-Star in 2025, when Donovan hit a career-high .287 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games.
But The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported earlier this month teams talking to St. Louis have hit a roadblock.
“Why have the Cardinals not yet traded Donovan, the player who can bring them the most in a deal? It comes down to a difference in perceived value,” Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. “The Cardinals view Donovan as a star player while not all clubs see him that way, according to people briefed on the conversations.”
So when will St. Louis know what it’s going to do with Donovan?
“I think ideally,” Bloom said of having resolution before spring training, according to Goold.
The clock is ticking.
