Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable, breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed the idea of a salary cap. This week we’re going to tackle Brendan Donovan’s future.
Will the Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan before spring training? Where will he go?
R.J. Anderson: I would assume that Donovan still gets traded before spring training begins. He’s a quality player, but he probably has more value to a surefire contender than he does to a retooling Cardinals that could repurpose his plate appearances to younger options. As for where he goes, the Mariners make a lot of sense on paper. They have the need for a player like Donovan, as well as the prospect depth to get a deal done.
Matt Snyder: Yeah, I think the path is clear now. Maybe Eugenio Suárez needs to sign or teams need to realize the Cubs would need to be completely bowled over to part with Nico Hoerner, but everything else that was once standing in the way of a Donovan deal is settled. It’s the perfect time for the Cardinals to get the best offer from teams that still need to beef up their position-player side of the roster. I agree with RJ that the Mariners would be a great fit, but I’ll go back to the well with the Cardinals-Red Sox connection and say Donovan ends up as the everyday second baseman in Boston.
Dayn Perry: While I’m less confident that he’ll be traded before spring training than I was earlier in the offseason, I still think it’s more likely to happen than not. They’d really like to have the decks clear for JJ Wetherholt to be the second baseman, and they’d also like to give Nolan Gorman a season of uninterrupted run to see if he can take his strikeout issues. Donovan’s return would make all of that, especially the latter consideration, pretty difficult. With a lot of infield options off the board, I think it happens before camps get moving in earnest. I’ll say he goes to the Giants and gives them a needed dose of OBP and infield stability.
Mike Axisa: Yeah, I think Donovan goes before the Cardinals open camp in two weeks. Remember, the Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray trades came out of nowhere. We all knew those two were on the block, though there weren’t many rumors involving either, then bam, they were traded. It may seem like things are quiet with Donovan right now, but for sure, St. Louis is working hard behind the scenes to get a deal done. I expect them to get it done within a week or two.
As for where he’ll go, I think the Mariners are most likely with the Giants the runner-up. For the sake of variety, I’ll throw the Astros in the mix. They want a left-handed bat and Donovan’s versatility means it won’t ever be difficult to get him in the lineup. Houston’s farm system is not great and matching up with the Cardinals could be a challenge, but I could see them making a run at Donovan.
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