The 2024 campaign was the end of an era for the St. Louis Cardinals. The organization has moved on from 2022 ML MVP Paul Goldschmidt and is trying to trade veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado. The aging core that helped the Cards compete these last few years is slowly disappearing from the picture to welcome younger contributors.
One of them is Brendan Donovan, the 2022 NL Gold Glove winner at the utility position and one of the most underrated hitters in baseball. The player and the Cardinals reportedly came close to agreeing to a contract extension ahead of Thursday’s deadline to exchange arbitration figures.
That was the information that Cardinals insider John Denton reported in the morning. However, the situation changed per MLB Trade Rumors and an agreement no longer seems imminent.
Still, the two sides are talking and there is a chance that they sign a long-term extension at any point from now until Opening Day and beyond.
The Cardinals’ 27-year-old star is eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $3.6 million.
The Cardinals want to lock up Donovan
That means he still has two additional campaigns of cheap team control after 2025. A potential extension could cover his arbitration years and maybe a season or two of his future free agency.
Talks between the Cardinals and Donovan can continue even after arbitration figures have been exchanged, and he could sign his one-year arbitration deal and still extend his pact.
Donovan hit 14 home runs for the Cardinals last year, slashing a cool .278/.342/.417 with a 115 wRC+. His excellent 3.2 fWAR certifies his place as a quality contributor.
Donovan, who has been mentioned in trade rumors ever since he made his MLB debut in 2022, can play every infield position plus the outfield corners, making him underrated and extremely valuable.