If the Yankees can’t retain Cody Bellinger, there’s reportedly an outfielder drawing league-wide commerce curiosity who may very well be obtained.
Cardinals outfielder Brendan Donovan is a sizzling commodity and may very well be moved this yr with the group embarking on a brand new path with president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
MLB Community’s Jon Morosi particularly mentioned a whole lot of the large-market groups, together with the Yankees and Mets, love the 28-year-old.
“The query shouldn’t be a lot who’s in on Donovan, however who shouldn’t be,” Morosi reported Thursday night time.
“I talked to a supply right this moment who mentioned this man has about as a lot motion because the commerce market as every other participant in Main League Baseball.”
The Cardinals are a proud franchise mired in mediocrity, having missed the playoffs in three straight seasons and ending beneath .500 in two of these seasons, together with a 78-84 marketing campaign this yr.
Bloom, the previous prime Purple Sox, shouldn’t be planning for a full rebuild, per The Athletic, however he’s entertaining gives for prime gamers to assist return the group to contender standing.
Donovan earned the group’s lone All-Star berth final yr and buying and selling him might enable the franchise to acquire some younger expertise that would, in principle, kickstart a possible rebuild.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Cardinals maintain Donovan in “excessive regard,” however his age and the group’s timeline to compete might result in a deal to permit for max worth.
Donovan made simply $2.85 million final yr and has two years of group management left earlier than reaching free company.
He performs a number of positions, having manned second base, shortstop, left discipline and proper discipline in his profession, and slashed .287/.353/.422 with a .755 OPS this previous season.
This yr’s outfield free-agency class is headlined by Bellinger and Kyle Tucker, and in any other case lacks actual difference-makers.
The Cardinals might capitalize on that lack of impression bats and commerce Donovan to assist increase a system that already has 4 top-100 prospects, based on MLB.com.
St. Louis can also be anticipated to commerce veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado, per The Athletic.
