The Houston Astros are coming off an underperforming season. In the end, they finished with an 87-75 record, 2nd in the AL West, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
As a result, they are looking to make some additions and/or subtractions in trades and free agency. One of those purported to be on their radar is St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Apparently, Astros GM Dana Brown is keeping an eye out for Donovan, who is a left-handed-hitting second baseman. This season, Donovan became an All-Star and finished the year batting .287 with 132 hits, 10 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 64 runs scored. Recently, rumors circulated that the Cardinals were looking to trade Donovan to rebuild their roster.
Meanwhile, the Astros already have a loaded infield with the likes of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Jeremy Peña. In July, Donovan's name was floated during the MLB trade deadline. However, they chose not to relinquish any of their core players.
Nevertheless, they may be open this winter. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Donovan is set to make $5.4 million in arbitration. Also, if the Astros look to acquire him, Donovan would fill at least two critical needs.
Brendan Donovan would give the Astros two for the price of one.
The two most significant needs Houston is looking for are defensive versatility and left-handed hitting. In Donovan, they would get both. In terms of defense, he can play multiple positions and has the hardware to back up his excellence.
Donovan won a Gold Glove Award as a utility player in 2022. At the plate, Donovan has demonstrated consistency batting as a left-hander. If the Astros are lucky, they will have both needs fulfilled.
The question is how to incorporate Donovan into an infield that has a tremendous amount of depth.
