Goold: Donovan's market starting to materialize

[Talkin' Baseball]

Give me Noah Cameron and a prospect from KC but I’m sure they’re not wanting to trade him. Pass if they offer Kolek and/or Bergert.

Here's AI's take on a Cameron for Donovan swap:

Here’s how a **Donovan-for-Cameron trade** compares based on control, value, and team needs:

***

### **Control & Salaries**

**Noah Cameron (Royals):**

| Factor | Detail |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Control** | Through 2027 arbitration, free agent in 2032 [\[fangraphs.com\]](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/noah- ... position=P), [\[spotrac.com\]](https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id ... ah-cameron) |
| **2025 Salary** | Pre-arbitration at \~$760K [\[spotrac.com\]](https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id ... ah-cameron) |

**Brendan Donovan (Cardinals):**

| Factor | Detail |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Control** | Arbitration-eligible through 2027, free agent in 2028 [\[spotrac.com\]](https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id ... an-donovan) |
| **2025 Salary** | $2.85M (requested $3.3M) [\[ksl.com\]](https://www.ksl.com/article/51250731/do ... 85-million), [\[krcgtv.com\]](https://krcgtv.com/sports/content/cardi ... -wednesday) |

***

### **Performance & Value**

**Noah Cameron (2025):**

* 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 138 IP, \~1.8 fWAR [\[fangraphs.com\]](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/noah- ... position=P), [\[baseball-r...erence.com\]](https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... no01.shtml)
* Strong breaking pitches, but likely to regress (FIP 4.18, xERA 3.97) [\[sports.yahoo.com\]](https://sports.yahoo.com/article/2025-s ... 00508.html), [\[fangraphs.com\]](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/noah- ... position=P)

**Brendan Donovan (2024–25):**

* Three-season total: .280 AVG, 30 HR, \~7.4 WAR [\[newsnow.com\]](https://www.newsnow.com/us/Sports/MLB/MLB+Trades), [\[ksl.com\]](https://www.ksl.com/article/51250731/do ... 85-million)

***

### **Team Intentions & Tradeability**

* **Royals** have pitching depth, may trade Cameron to improve offense [\[si.com\]](https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/news/roya ... line-curt9), [\[soyfutbol.com\]](https://www.soyfutbol.com/en/news/Is-No ... -0057.html)
* Offense needs remain **primary priority** for Royals 2026 [\[si.com\]](https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/onsi/news ... 2026-curt9), [\[kingsofkauffman.com\]](https://kingsofkauffman.com/2-glaring-n ... jswa8zadb7)

***

### **Is It a Fair 1-for-1?**

* **Edge to Donovan**: Higher WAR, exceptional versatility, stronger market value
* **Edge to Cameron**: Longer team control through 2027, cost-efficiency
* **Market Expectations**: Royals would require **Donovan + at least one additional mid-tier prospect** to trade Cameron [\[si.com\]](https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/news/roya ... line-curt9), [\[soyfutbol.com\]](https://www.soyfutbol.com/en/news/Is-No ... -0057.html)

***

### **Conclusion**

* A straight **1-for-1** swap would **favor the Royals**.
* To balance value, **Cardinals must include a mid-tier prospect** alongside Donovan.
* The package needs to reflect fair value for Cameron’s control and upside—and meet the Royals’ need for offense.

***

I’d do a 1 for 1 trade or even throw in a low level prospect for Cameron.

AI suggested throwing in Saggesse

Talkin' Baseball suggests trading Saggese to KC instead of Donovan. There are much better team matchups for St Louis with Donovan than KC.

[ScotchMIrish]

Holding Burleson and Hererra are what I thought made sense. Move Contreras and open up 1B/DH for those two.

Interest in Donovan isn't surprising. What we get in return is the question.

That is pretty much where I stand as well with regards to Burleson and Herrera. I would say, however, if you can't trade Willson for whatever reason, I think you have to trade Burleson.

I think they will be able to move Contreras. His contract is $18 in 2026. $18.5 in 2027 $17.5 club option in 2028. The only issue might be finding a team willing to put up with his drama. He gets hid deliberately on the elbow pad and then calls out his teammates for not wanting to retaliate. He's a distraction.

[ilcubuffs]

" would prefer to hold Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera." Has to be a joke right ????

Two players who are avg hitters and inept defensively they want to keep but willing to part with a player of Donovan's quality. Supposed to be keeping quality players as base for 2027 (??) team and weeding out the redundant marginal players. Like someone to actually confirm Mo Ran is NOT still making baseball decisions.

[Shady]

" would prefer to hold Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera." Has to be a joke right ????

Two players who are avg hitters and inept defensively they want to keep but willing to part with a player of Donovan's quality. Supposed to be keeping quality players as base for 2027 (??) team and weeding out the redundant marginal players. Like someone to actually confirm Mo Ran is NOT still making baseball decisions.

Burly would be fine at 1B if Bloom can find a trade partner for Contreras. I'm not sure about Herrera at catcher. But it would be really good if he pans out.

[Ozziesfan41]

" would prefer to hold Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera." Has to be a joke right ????

Two players who are avg hitters and inept defensively they want to keep but willing to part with a player of Donovan's quality. Supposed to be keeping quality players as base for 2027 (??) team and weeding out the redundant marginal players. Like someone to actually confirm Mo Ran is NOT still making baseball decisions.

Well it would be smart to trade Donovan because they don’t have anyone else who is going to bring them back good prospects and Donovan isn’t going to help the cardinals win anything anyway. I wouldn’t call Herrera and burly average hitters both were better than Donovan

[82birds]

paragraph from a RedbirdRants article:

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally beginning to break free of the shackles that have left them trapped in John Mozeliak's dungeon of mediocrity. With Chaim Bloom providing the team a clear direction to return to competitiveness within what is hopefully only a few seasons, brighter days look to lie ahead for the Cardinals as they slog through a rebuild.



John Mozeliak's dungeon of mediocrity.....well put.

[Goldfan]

" would prefer to hold Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera." Has to be a joke right ????

Two players who are avg hitters and inept defensively they want to keep but willing to part with a player of Donovan's quality. Supposed to be keeping quality players as base for 2027 (??) team and weeding out the redundant marginal players. Like someone to actually confirm Mo Ran is NOT still making baseball decisions.

Not sure Herrera is avg and redundant…..
384 AB
.284
19HR
OBP
.373
SLG
.464
OPS
.837

[Melville]

paragraph from a RedbirdRants article:

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally beginning to break free of the shackles that have left them trapped in John Mozeliak's dungeon of mediocrity. With Chaim Bloom providing the team a clear direction to return to competitiveness within what is hopefully only a few seasons, brighter days look to lie ahead for the Cardinals as they slog through a rebuild.



John Mozeliak's dungeon of mediocrity.....well put.

I brilliantly and correctly identified his model as "sustainable mediocrity" many years ago.
Clearly, others are beginning to understand - and borrow.

[ScotchMIrish]

Give me Noah Cameron and a prospect from KC but I’m sure they’re not wanting to trade him. Pass if they offer Kolek and/or Bergert.

Here's AI's take on a Cameron for Donovan swap:

Here’s how a **Donovan-for-Cameron trade** compares based on control, value, and team needs:

***

### **Control & Salaries**

**Noah Cameron (Royals):**

| Factor | Detail |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Control** | Through 2027 arbitration, free agent in 2032 [\[fangraphs.com\]](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/noah- ... position=P), [\[spotrac.com\]](https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id ... ah-cameron) |
| **2025 Salary** | Pre-arbitration at \~$760K [\[spotrac.com\]](https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id ... ah-cameron) |

**Brendan Donovan (Cardinals):**

| Factor | Detail |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Control** | Arbitration-eligible through 2027, free agent in 2028 [\[spotrac.com\]](https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/player/_/id ... an-donovan) |
| **2025 Salary** | $2.85M (requested $3.3M) [\[ksl.com\]](https://www.ksl.com/article/51250731/do ... 85-million), [\[krcgtv.com\]](https://krcgtv.com/sports/content/cardi ... -wednesday) |

***

### **Performance & Value**

**Noah Cameron (2025):**

* 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 138 IP, \~1.8 fWAR [\[fangraphs.com\]](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/noah- ... position=P), [\[baseball-r...erence.com\]](https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... no01.shtml)
* Strong breaking pitches, but likely to regress (FIP 4.18, xERA 3.97) [\[sports.yahoo.com\]](https://sports.yahoo.com/article/2025-s ... 00508.html), [\[fangraphs.com\]](https://www.fangraphs.com/players/noah- ... position=P)

**Brendan Donovan (2024–25):**

* Three-season total: .280 AVG, 30 HR, \~7.4 WAR [\[newsnow.com\]](https://www.newsnow.com/us/Sports/MLB/MLB+Trades), [\[ksl.com\]](https://www.ksl.com/article/51250731/do ... 85-million)

***

### **Team Intentions & Tradeability**

* **Royals** have pitching depth, may trade Cameron to improve offense [\[si.com\]](https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/news/roya ... line-curt9), [\[soyfutbol.com\]](https://www.soyfutbol.com/en/news/Is-No ... -0057.html)
* Offense needs remain **primary priority** for Royals 2026 [\[si.com\]](https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/onsi/news ... 2026-curt9), [\[kingsofkauffman.com\]](https://kingsofkauffman.com/2-glaring-n ... jswa8zadb7)

***

### **Is It a Fair 1-for-1?**

* **Edge to Donovan**: Higher WAR, exceptional versatility, stronger market value
* **Edge to Cameron**: Longer team control through 2027, cost-efficiency
* **Market Expectations**: Royals would require **Donovan + at least one additional mid-tier prospect** to trade Cameron [\[si.com\]](https://www.si.com/mlb/royals/news/roya ... line-curt9), [\[soyfutbol.com\]](https://www.soyfutbol.com/en/news/Is-No ... -0057.html)

***

### **Conclusion**

* A straight **1-for-1** swap would **favor the Royals**.
* To balance value, **Cardinals must include a mid-tier prospect** alongside Donovan.
* The package needs to reflect fair value for Cameron’s control and upside—and meet the Royals’ need for offense.

***

I’d do a 1 for 1 trade or even throw in a low level prospect for Cameron.

AI suggested throwing in Saggesse

Talkin' Baseball suggests trading Saggese to KC instead of Donovan. There are much better team matchups for St Louis with Donovan than KC.

If we move Donovan I don't see how we can move Saggese. Wetherholt, Saggese, Gorman are the only options at 2B/3B and at his age Saggese has the potential to improve.

[RunSup]

Glad to hear some action on Donovan. He is clearly the one of the trade-high players on the team and he has the highest value.

They should be open to Burleson too.

Winn and Wetherholt are the ones to build around. Everyone else can go. Have to be blown away on a Winn trade.

2028 is when they compete to win. With injured pitching prospects starting to return in 2027.

[mattmitchl44]

...dungeon of mediocrity.....

Weirdly, a lot of CT demands they spend enough money right now to stay in their dungeon of mediocrity.

[Goldfan]

Glad to hear some action on Donovan. He is clearly the one of the trade-high players on the team and he has the highest value.

They should be open to Burleson too.

Winn and Wetherholt are the ones to build around. Everyone else can go. Have to be blown away on a Winn trade.

2028 is when they compete to win. With injured pitching prospects starting to return in 2027.

So this guy should be set free…..but keep a GG avg hitting SS and AAA kid whose never played in MLB
Do you think the Cards have so much offense that the below stats are expendable?
How much money would Cards spend on a FA to reproduce those stats?
384 AB
.284
19HR
OBP
.373
SLG
.464
OPS
.837

[Shady]

" would prefer to hold Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera." Has to be a joke right ????

Two players who are avg hitters and inept defensively they want to keep but willing to part with a player of Donovan's quality. Supposed to be keeping quality players as base for 2027 (??) team and weeding out the redundant marginal players. Like someone to actually confirm Mo Ran is NOT still making baseball decisions.

Well it would be smart to trade Donovan because they don’t have anyone else who is going to bring them back good prospects and Donovan isn’t going to help the cardinals win anything anyway. I wouldn’t call Herrera and burly average hitters both were better than Donovan

Staying healthy for a full season. Both Herrera and Burleson are capable of a 25 Hrs, 80 RBIs season. And that would be far from "average hitters".

[RunSup]

Glad to hear some action on Donovan. He is clearly the one of the trade-high players on the team and he has the highest value.

They should be open to Burleson too.

Winn and Wetherholt are the ones to build around. Everyone else can go. Have to be blown away on a Winn trade.

2028 is when they compete to win. With injured pitching prospects starting to return in 2027.

So this guy should be set free…..but keep a GG avg hitting SS and AAA kid whose never played in MLB
Do you think the Cards have so much offense that the below stats are expendable?
How much money would Cards spend on a FA to reproduce those stats?
384 AB
.284
19HR
OBP
.373
SLG
.464
OPS
.837

I would keep Herrerra over Burleson. But I would not build around 1B/DH. Any of them. They are pieces to the puzzle but not the core.

Herrera will never be the starting catcher. Bernal/Crooks are better catchers. Oli won't let go of Pages next year.

Yes Herrerra is a good bat. But if a trade for good SP was there I'd do it.

[Goldfan]

Glad to hear some action on Donovan. He is clearly the one of the trade-high players on the team and he has the highest value.

They should be open to Burleson too.

Winn and Wetherholt are the ones to build around. Everyone else can go. Have to be blown away on a Winn trade.

2028 is when they compete to win. With injured pitching prospects starting to return in 2027.

So this guy should be set free…..but keep a GG avg hitting SS and AAA kid whose never played in MLB
Do you think the Cards have so much offense that the below stats are expendable?
How much money would Cards spend on a FA to reproduce those stats?
384 AB
.284
19HR
OBP
.373
SLG
.464
OPS
.837

I would keep Herrerra over Burleson. But I would not build around 1B/DH. Any of them. They are pieces to the puzzle but not the core.

Herrera will never be the starting catcher. Bernal/Crooks are better catchers. Oli won't let go of Pages next year.

Yes Herrerra is a good bat. But if a trade for good SP was there I'd do it.

Again….where are you going to replicate those numbers put up with 384 AB’s. This team has little power and is LH heavy…….

[RunSup]

Glad to hear some action on Donovan. He is clearly the one of the trade-high players on the team and he has the highest value.

They should be open to Burleson too.

Winn and Wetherholt are the ones to build around. Everyone else can go. Have to be blown away on a Winn trade.

2028 is when they compete to win. With injured pitching prospects starting to return in 2027.

So this guy should be set free…..but keep a GG avg hitting SS and AAA kid whose never played in MLB
Do you think the Cards have so much offense that the below stats are expendable?
How much money would Cards spend on a FA to reproduce those stats?
384 AB
.284
19HR
OBP
.373
SLG
.464
OPS
.837

I would keep Herrerra over Burleson. But I would not build around 1B/DH. Any of them. They are pieces to the puzzle but not the core.

Herrera will never be the starting catcher. Bernal/Crooks are better catchers. Oli won't let go of Pages next year.

Yes Herrerra is a good bat. But if a trade for good SP was there I'd do it.

Again….where are you going to replicate those numbers put up with 384 AB’s. This team has little power and is LH heavy…….

2 years to replace those numbers. 1B/DH bats are not hard to find or even develop. No worries.

If you are trying to win next year, well good luck with that.