Saturday, August 02

ST. LOUIS -- This will likely go over about as well as flat Budweiser beer or stale pretzels for fans sweating it out at steamy Busch Stadium, but here goes: The Cardinals would be wise to explore what kind of prospect haul that Brendan Donovan could command for them in a potential deal before Thursday’s MLB Trade Deadline.

I type that knowing full well that “Donny” is the heartbeat, the driving force, the All-Star and the unquestioned Most Valuable Player of a Cardinals club that has defied expectations and has somehow stayed in the NL Wild Card chase all season. The Cardinals have MLB’s sixth-most come-from-behind victories (26) this season largely because of efforts like the one delivered on Thursday by Donovan, who had a three-run homer, two more hits, two runs scored and his hardest-hit ball of the season (109.6 mph) in St. Louis’ rally past the Padres.

Clearly, any team that has the 28-year-old Donovan on its roster is better for having him than not. After all, Donovan went into Saturday’s play second in the NL in four-hit games, tied for second in three-hit games, sixth in hits, sixth in batting average and and tied for seventh in doubles. Simultaneously, he is the Cardinals’ hardest worker and their most-respected player in the clubhouse because of his ability to lead by example.

Basically, Donovan’s value has never been higher to the Cardinals. And that’s one reason they should look into what kind of haul they could get in return from a team that is one gritty gamer away from winning a championship. Last season, that player was Tommy Edman, who went from the Cardinals to the Dodgers and helped L.A. win the World Series, taking home NLCS MVP honors. The year before, it was Jordan Montgomery, who went from the Cardinals to helping the Rangers win it all.

Back to Donovan, his name has surfaced in trade rumors because he is just the kind of player any team would love to have. He won a Gold Glove as a rookie and was a finalist for last season with his ability to fill three infield spots and also play a solid left field when needed. That infield/outfield mix is something the Astros are reportedly shopping for and something the Yankees still need even after acquiring Ryan McMahon. The Astros and Dodgers have injury concerns at third base, while the Mariners need help at third and need more offense.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who will be going through his final Trade Deadline before Chaim Bloom takes over in 2026, said the team must listen to all offers on the Cards’ current players and weigh what such deals could mean for the franchise’s future.

“If there’s something that seems too good to be true, of course we have to listen,” Mozeliak said. “If there’s something that made so much sense, obviously we’d pursue it.” 

As a guiding principle of what the Cards should do with Donovan at the Deadline, they first must determine if they are willing to invest long-term in a player who will turn 29 in January. The two sides couldn’t agree on a 2025 salary for Donovan last January when the player asked for $3.3 million and the team offered $2.85 million, and they ended up in an arbitration hearing. In the past, the Cards signed similarly homegrown players such as Kolten Wong, Harrison Bader and Edman to relatively modest contract extensions, but traded them away before ever having to pay them free-agent types of salaries. For further context, no player who has ever gone to an arbitration hearing with the Cards has signed a contract with the club beyond their controllable years.

Also, there’s this for the Cardinals to consider regarding Donovan: Their second baseman of the future, JJ Wetherholt, is the top prospect in the system, is tearing it up at Triple-A Memphis and will likely be in St. Louis by the end of the current season. But where Wetherholt offers tremendous promise, Donovan is already a sure thing and there would be risk involved in turning over that spot to a rookie.

Clearly, the Cardinals are a better team with Donovan on the roster. Losing him would hinder any chances of the 2025 Cardinals reaching the playoffs. But because they aren’t in championship-contending mode and instead trying to build for a brighter future, they must try and turn their coveted assets -- such as Donovan, two-time All-Star closer Ryan Helsley and ace setup men Phil Maton, JoJo Romero and Steven Matz -- into future building blocks. As devastating as it would be to part with a player of Donovan’s ilk -- and manager Oliver Marmol’s shoulders slump at the mere thought of that -- the Cards must be willing to absorb some short-term pain for what could become long-term gain.

The area of the Cardinals that could be most impacted at the Trade Deadline is a bullpen that has been the strongest suit of the squad for a second straight year. That was never more evident than the two wins over the Padres on Thursday and Friday. In the series opener, Riley O’Brien, Romero, Maton and Helsley offered a combined four innings of scoreless relief after Sonny Gray had been battered for seven runs (six earned). On Friday, Matz, Maton, Romero and Helsley backed up a strong outing by Miles Mikolas to complete a shutout.

Helsley is a proven, high-level closer that teams such as the Phillies, Yankees and Dodgers need for bullpen upgrades. Maton has been one of the game’s best setup men, ranking second in MLB in lowest average exit velocity (84.8 mph) and eighth in whiff rate with his elite curveball (42.3 percent). Matz has had his best season in St. Louis in a swingman role, while Romero has been lights out against lefties again in 2025.

The fear, of course, is that the Cards could lose a piece or multiple relievers out of the bullpen and it might upset the delicate ecosystem of a group that has worked so well together.

“Whatever decision Mo and the front office make, my job is to manage what I have down here as best as possible, and that’s what I’ll do,” Marmol said when asked about potential personnel hits coming to the bullpen. “In this seat, you’re paid to develop and win -- this year, in that order. The thought of not having these guys -- the only way we don’t have them is we’re going to get something in return that is going to make us much better down the road.”

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