Trade Profile: Brendan Donovan, IF/OF
Brendan Donovan, IF/OF
Position: IF/OF B/T: L/R
Player Data: Age: 28 (01/16/1997)
2025 Traditional Stats: 515 PA, .287/.353/.422/.775, 132 H, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 42 BB, 67 SO
2025 Advanced Stats: 119 wRC+, 119 OPS+, 13.0% SO%, 8.2% BB%, .315 BABIP, .346 xwOBA, 2.9 fWAR, 2.7 bWAR
Rundown
The St. Louis Cardinals are trending towards a rebuild. Since the start of the offseason, they have already dealt Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and now Nolan Arenado, three of their highest-paid players from a season ago. With that in mind, most, if not all, of the key pieces in St. Louis could be had in a trade. That includes Brendan Donovan, who was a first-time All-Star in 2025. The utility man has consistently hit since debuting in 2022, owning a career .282 batting average in 492 games. Donovan isn’t much of a power hitter, but a strength for him is his ability to put the ball in play. For his career, he has a 13.5% strikeout rate.
Donovan missed some time with groin and foot injuries last season, limiting him to just 118 games. But on the whole, the 2025 season was a strong one for him individually. He ranked in the 90th percentile or better in expected batting average, squared-up percentage, whiff rate, and strikeout percentage, among other offensive categories. After hitting .297 with a .797 OPS in a strong first half, Donovan fell to a .259 batting average and a .706 OPS post-All-Star break. Again, as mentioned before, injuries played a significant role in that drop off. He is expected to be 100% healthy for the beginning of spring training later next month.
In 2025, Donovan spent most of his time in the lineup hitting first or third, with his best numbers coming in the middle of the order. In 57 games, he slashed .309/.386/.423 with 21 extra base hits from the three-hole. If Donovan were to be traded to a team with a talented lineup, he profiles as someone who can still be effective further down the lineup. But more than anything else, his numbers from last season show that he can also do damage near the top of the order when given the opportunity.
Donovan is an intriguing trade candidate for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one revolves around his versatility. Most of his time has been spent at second base and in left field, but he can play all over the diamond. Donovan has also featured at first base, shortstop, third base, and right field. That is certainly something that will only increase his value in a seller’s market, which the Cardinals are already super active in.
Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
Package
Donovan is set to become a free agent in 2028, so any team trading for him would get two years of control. With that in mind, it would take quite a bit for the Mets to get him.
Mets Receive:
- IF/OF Brendan Donovan
Cardinals Receive:
- RHP Brandon Sproat
- OF Nick Morabito
The Cardinals are in desperate need of help in the starting rotation, especially with the departure of Gray. Sproat would give them a young arm with a high ceiling. Morabito is an outfielder with plenty of speed, one who could factor at the big league level potentially in 2027.
Recommendation
Is Donovan a player who could help the Mets take a step forward, particularly offensively? Absolutely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they would be a good match.
Entering the 2026 season, the Mets have plenty of guys who occupy positions on the infield, especially given the most recent reported signing of star Bo Bichette. Outside of Bichette, there is also Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña. That does not even include one of the newer Mets, Marcus Semien, who is set to occupy the position that Donovan has spent the most time of his career at, second base.
If the Mets made a move for Donovan it would be for him to come in and occupy left field. Across his four-year career, Donovan has played 225 games at second base and 163 in left field. So, despite the infield logjam, the versatility that Donovan brings would still help him fit the Mets’ roster if they wanted to go that route. However, a despite that, a fit such as Cody Bellinger may make more sense.
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