Brendan Donovan was considered one of the hottest trade commodities before the offseason began, so why haven’t the St. Louis Cardinals dealt him yet? While only Chaim Bloom knows why for sure, I speculate that two very unlikely trades from other teams might make the Cardinals trade of Brendan Donovan less likely.
St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has said from the beginning that the team will not trade Brendan Donovan unless they are blown away by an offer. That was true as the offseason began and remains true now. It’s obvious that the Cardinals have still not received an offer that has compelled them to move Donovan, but why since he fits the needs of so many contending teams? I have a theory that two players who are being quietly discussed might be holding up progress on Brendan’s market.
The first unexpected infield trade candidate that emerged was a rumor that the Chicago Cubs were listening on offers for Nico Hoerner. It’s been reported that he was definitely a player of interest for the San Francisco Giants who are also considered a top landing spot for Brendan Donovan. Recent reports indicate the Cubs are less likely to move Hoerner after they signed free agent Alex Bregman, but they have not completely ruled that option out. I’ve heard rumors that the Seattle Mariners were also interested in Hoerner if the Cardinals asking price for Donovan is too high.
In the past day, we’ve also learned that the Washington Nationals have been quietly listening on offers for infielder CJ Abrams according to MLB Trade Rumors. Talk Nats has confirmed the “listening” rumors, but say there’s a difference between shopping and listening. Nationals GM Paul Toboni says it’s highly unlikely, but he also won’t rule anything out.
I think many of us thought that Brendan Donovan’s market would become more crystal clear after Bo Bichette signed with a team. Now that the Bichette drama is done, there is no report that I can confirm that Brendan Donovan’s trade is any closer which means Chaim Bloom still does not have the prospect haul offer he wants. I have to wonder if teams like the Giants and Mariners are holding out for the possibility that the Cubs will really make Hoerner available or the Nationals would trade Abrams. I can only speculate since I have not yet developed the ability to read minds (but I’m working on it) if the Giants and Mariners specifically are less likely to offer the breakthrough prospects for Donovan because of uncertainty about Hoerner and Abrams availability.
As I said 3 weeks ago, I would have no problem if the St. Louis Cardinals decide to keep Brendan and continue their rebuild around him instead of trading him. There is no reason to trade him if the prospects on offer aren’t a knockout. It is a gamble, though, to keep Donovan thinking he’ll be a valuable trade deadline candidate. You run the risk of him suffering an injury and there’s also a half year less of team control available. The general consensus was that Brendan Donovan’s trade value will never be higher than it is this offseason. As of today, we’re only about 3 weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training (yay!) so there’s still time that the Cardinals will pull together an epic Brendan Donovan trade. I think the potential trade of CJ Abrams and/or Nico Hoerner is nothing more than a mirage. Once those possibilities disappear, I hope Chaim Bloom gets the return he’s held out for.
