Ideal Guardians trade target may not be on the market for much longer

While the Guardians had a quiet Winter Meetings that was highlighted by them only signing three relievers, they still have more than enough time to make a big splash given that Opening Day isn’t for another 2 1/2 months. 

One of the easiest avenues for them to be able to do that is by taking advantage of the trade market, which still features plenty of impact players who seem to be available in trade talks — one of whom is St. Louis superutility man Brendan Donovan, who would fill an obvious need in Cleveland’s lineup while also being able to move around the diamond. 

But it seems like it may be a bit tougher for that to happen, as The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported on Sunday that the Mariners and Giants have “emerged as front-runners” for Donovan. She also wrote that the Cardinals are “looking to land multiple top prospects” in return for Donovan. 

It’s getting harder and harder for the Guardians to acquire Brendan Donovan 

According to Woo, more than half of the teams in baseball have reached out to the Cardinals about Donovan, which shouldn’t be a surprise given that aforementioned skillset. But it looks like the Giants and Mariners have risen to the top of the crop due to their desire to include top prospects in the talks 

While the Guardians have the kind of prospect capital needed to net Donovan, they very rarely include those prospects in trades. Young starting pitchers like Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo would undoubtedly be valuable assets in these trade talks, but they’re just as important (if not more important) to the Guardians long-term future. 

There’s also the case of the Guardians’ young players. While Donovan can play all over the diamond, he spends most of his time at second base and right field. Yes, they’re the two positions the Guardians need the most help at, but they’re also the two positions where they have some promising young talent. 

Travis Bazzana made it to Triple-A last year and should make his Guardians debut at second at some point in 2026, while Chase DeLauter and George Valera are at the front of the line to get more opportunities in right field after making their MLB debuts late last season. 

Donovan is as good a place-holder as you can get for those two positions, but he’d eventually need to shift toward the background. It may not be the best move to give up some promising young players for a player who could end up becoming a part-time player as early as the second half of the 2026 season. 

That said, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has been aggressive in sending St. Louis into a rebuild, so there are some avenues for the Guardians to use the Cardinals to upgrade their roster.