The St. Louis Cardinals are working this offseason to offload some of their veterans. One member of the Cardinals who may be leaving town soon is utility player and All-Star Brendan Donovan. One team possibly trading with the Redbirds for Donovan is the Pittsburgh Pirates, per MLB Trade Rumors.
“In-division trades typically aren’t especially common, but Pittsburgh (general manager) Ben Cherington has shown himself to be comfortable dealing with the Cardinals in the past, such as when the sides came together on a trade involving Jose Quintana and Johan Oviedo at the 2022 trade deadline,” Nick Deeds wrote.
Pittsburgh has assets, especially arms, that could help St. Louis and also make them a solid trading partner.
“The Pirates have plenty of young pitching and are in need of help in the outfield that both Donovan and (Lars) Nootbaar could potentially provide,” Deeds added.
Pittsburgh had one of the best young rotations in Major League Baseball during the 2025 season. That includes Paul Skenes, who just won the National League Cy Young award. The Pirates though were abysmal on offense, finishing at the bottom of MLB in nearly every offensive statistical category.
A few other teams are interested in Donovan, the outlet reported. Those clubs are the New York Yankees and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Other clubs including the Kansas City Royals are also in talks with St. Louis for him, the outlet reported.
Other Cardinals players possibly on the move this offseason include starting pitcher Sonny Gray. St. Louis finished the 2025 season with a disappointing 78-84 record.
