Red Sox emerging as serious suitors for dream Guardians trade target

There’s no denying that the St. Louis Cardinals are entering 2026 in a clear rebuild. While that sentiment may not seem like a surprise given the Cardinals haven’t made the postseason since 2022, they’ve spent most of that time wandering in the wilderness before new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom came in and reshuffled the deck. 

In the time since the 2025 season, Bloom has traded away Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, and is reportedly listening to offers on a variety of veterans on the Cardinals’ roster. 

And one of the biggest names available on the list is utilityman Brendan Donovan, who has generated some buzz as a potential trade candidate for the Guardians thanks to how easy it is to imagine him on the Guardians’ roster.

But the chances of Donovan ending up on Cleveland’s roster have been slowly dwindling thanks to a variety of reporting from around the league. First it was that the Mariners and Giants were close to striking a deal for Donovan (they didn’t). Then there were Bloom’s comments saying the Cardinals are seeking right-handed outfielders (which the Guardians don’t have). 

And the third part of that triad hit earlier this week when The Athletic’s Katie Woo and Will Sammon reported that the Red Sox have emerged as a serious contender for Donovan’s services. That shouldn’t be much of a surprise given that Bloom previously worked for the Red Sox.

While Woo and Sammon said that a deal for Donovan isn’t imminent, Boston being a suitor for Donovan is bad news for the Guardians considering that Bloom seems to have no problem trading with Boston’s new leadership (he already traded Gray and Contreras to the Red Sox this offseason). 

It’s clear that Bloom and the Cardinals are being deliberate about Donovan’s trade market as they look to rebuild St. Louis’ roster, and his price tag is only going to go up as more and more teams get involved in the sweepstakes. 

Donvovans coming off a season where he hit .287 with 10 home runs in 118 games, and he’s a career .282 hitter in his four MLB seasons. in right field, which are two serious areas of need for the Guardians. 

The Guardians are going to need to go out of their comfort zone if they want to get Brendan Donovan 

Although the Guardians have a variety of MLB-ready position player prospects, acquiring Donovan would require them to make the kind of prospect-dumping trade they’re not really known for. 

Donovan’s good, but he’s not good enough that the Guardians should part with someone like Chase DeLauter.

The Cardinals are still in desperate need of pitching, but Donovan arguably isn’t good enough to justify giving up someone like Parker Messick. Logan Allen would make for a good sweetener as a veteran innings eater, but it seems like we’re past the point where he’d make the difference in a deal. 

The Guardians still need to make some kind of addition to their lineup, but we’re at a point where Donovan isn’t worth the trade return it would take to get him.