Who AI Says we Should Trade Donovan For...

[Mort Gage]

Thank god the AI didn't say "Trade Donovan for Cardinal Pitchers"

Somebody is obsessed. LOL

Even by your rock bottom standards that was an incredibly stupid topic.

Somebody else is also obsessed.

The week you were on vacation was a pleasant one on the board, and I was far from the only one who felt that way. It was nice not having a 77 yr old weirdo creating stupid topics all week. If I were to put together a GoFundMe how much would it take for you to go away for say, good. Just like The Cardinal Nation banned your sorry -ss.

[82birds]

From Grok -

“The St. Louis Cardinals should trade Brendan Donovan to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Logan Allen and outfield prospect George Valera.

Why this trade makes sense for the Cardinals

The Cardinals enter the 2025-26 offseason in retool mode after a forgettable 2025 season (finishing well below .500 and missing the playoffs), with new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom emphasizing youth development and financial flexibility over high payroll contention. Donovan, a 29-year-old first-time All-Star in 2025 with a 2.7 WAR, .285/.360/.425 slash line, and elite versatility across second base, left field, and shortstop, is one of their most valuable controllable assets (team control through 2027 at a modest projected $4-5M salary in 2026).

Trading him now maximizes his value before his arbitration costs rise further, allowing St. Louis to acquire cost-controlled pitching depth—a glaring need after relying on inconsistent veterans like Sonny Gray (potentially shopped) and a thin rotation that posted a 4.45 ERA in 2025.

• Logan Allen (LHP, age 26 in 2026):
A former top-50 prospect with three years of team control left, Allen showed promise in 2025 (3.92 ERA over 120 innings, 8.5 K/9) despite command issues. He’d slot in as a reliable No. 3-4 starter behind emerging young arms like Matthew Liberatore, addressing the Cardinals’ biggest 2026 priority: mid-rotation stability without breaking the bank.

• George Valera (OF, age 25 in 2026):
Cleveland’s former No. 1 prospect (still top-100 overall), Valera brings plus power potential (.850 OPS in Triple-A in 2025) and outfield versatility as a corner/bench bat. He’s a high-upside lottery ticket for St. Louis’ improving farm system (now top-10 in MLB, headlined by shortstop JJ Wetherholt), providing depth behind Lars Nootbaar while the Cards audition rookies like Victor Scott II.

This package nets two controllable pieces with upside, aligning with Bloom’s prospect-heavy rebuild while shedding Donovan’s $2.85M salary from 2025 (though his next deal is affordable). It avoids overpaying for free-agent pitchers like Blake Snell, preserving flexibility for other moves (e.g., extending Willson Contreras or adding a veteran reliever).

Why this trade makes sense for the Guardians

Cleveland, fresh off an ALCS appearance in 2025 but still offensively anemic (team .235 BA, 22nd in runs), desperately needs left-handed pop and infield flexibility to complement stars like José Ramírez and Steven Kwan. Donovan’s switch-hitting contact skills, Gold Glove-caliber defense, and ability to play anywhere (he started 85 games at 2B/LF in 2025) make him a “perfect fit,” as ESPN’s Jeff Passan put it—plugging holes at second base (post-Andrés Giménez questions) or as a super-utility bat without blocking prospects like Brayan Rocchio. At his age and cost, he’s a low-risk upgrade over internal options like David Fry, boosting their lineup floor for another deep playoff run.

This isn’t a fleecing—Donovan’s value is high, but Cleveland’s deep farm (ranked top-5) allows them to part with Allen (expendable in their stacked rotation) and Valera (blocked in the outfield) without gutting their system. Rumors have linked the teams since early November, with insiders like Derrick Goold noting mutual interest. If executed, it’s a win-win: St. Louis accelerates its youth movement, and Cleveland gets an All-Star stabilizer.”

Donovan the switch-hitter?

[Quincy Varnish]

Donovan’s switch-hitting contact skills,

Donovan the switch-hitter?

Yeah, AI is goofy… sometimes impressive, but frequently wrong. Grok is far from the worst, though. Recently, Meta AI spit this out to me…

[TraveledLessRoad]

That's "close down the business the product is so bad" bad.

[okcardfan]

Great use of AI. How did you phrase your search request to the AI you used?

This was my first prompt:

"Which MLB starting pitcher should the St. Louis Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan for? Please factor in each player's years of eligibility before their next contract, current cost, current value, and teams that are in need of a super utility player with great on-base ability." That yielded Bibee, Joe Ryan, Seth Lugo and a couple others. My secondary prompt was:

"Is a Brendan Donovan for Tanner Bibee an even one for one swap or would one team need to add more to the deal?"

Excellent work. I use chatgpt for a bunch of things, lots of fun and also big help re travel especially.

[TraveledLessRoad]

Great use of AI. How did you phrase your search request to the AI you used?

This was my first prompt:

"Which MLB starting pitcher should the St. Louis Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan for? Please factor in each player's years of eligibility before their next contract, current cost, current value, and teams that are in need of a super utility player with great on-base ability." That yielded Bibee, Joe Ryan, Seth Lugo and a couple others. My secondary prompt was:

"Is a Brendan Donovan for Tanner Bibee an even one for one swap or would one team need to add more to the deal?"

Excellent work. I use chatgpt for a bunch of things, lots of fun and also big help re travel especially.

For sure. and the more I use it, the less I feel like it will ever replace a human. You still have to have to have a brain and know how to write, as the output is only as good as the prompt one writes. But I love it and use it all the time.