Morosi: 'Donovan has huge trade market '

[TraveledLessRoad]

Also, Chaim has to be giddy at how polar opposite a position he is in now vs. when he was forced to trade Mookie Betts

[brock118]

For the people that don't want to trade Donovan they just aren't used to trading a guy at his highest level. They are so used to Mo waiting on guys to peter out the concept is foreign to them. Mo is the king at selling low. This is how you rebuild people.

[Hoosier59]

Meanwhile Nado doesn’t have this Huge market, and might actually be back despite best efforts.

Once again Bregman is clouding the Arenado trade situation, but now there are two Japanese players that are also available. When all the dust settles, there might still be a place for him, but at what cost? It’s more probable that teams would be more interested in Gorman, than Arenado at that point. If last Spring training was awkward for Arenado, what will this Spring training be like if he is still with the Cardinals. It all started with Mo, but the Cardinals really have mishandled this whole situation!

[Othawhitemeat]

At the beginning of the offseason I wanted to keep Donovan but this type of talk is sure exciting. Ready to be impressed with the return.

Donovan is a winning ballplayer on an already good to great team --- he is not a difference maker on an average team, couple that with 2 years of control and anyone who thinks they have a shot to win in the next two years will be bidding. Good luck BD!!

I've made a few posts on here saying i think this could go similar to when the White Sox traded Adam Eaton years ago. Maybe Donovan represents a similar opportunity to find a glitch in the market and get a return even bigger than what the player is really worth. Right player, right time.

If the return on the Eaton trade was that good, the CWS sure didn’t capitalize on it.

The White Sox got the Nationals 1st(Lucas Giolito), 3rd(Reynaldo Lopez) and 6th(Dane Dunning) prospects. It doesn't matter what happened with them afterwards. It just goes to show what an overpayment for a player of similar value to Donovan looks like. I'd say Donovan is a step below Eaton but the intangibles are very similar.

I actually think Donny is just as good as Eaton in his prime due to the versatility of Donnie and Donnie is supposedly a leader. Donnie is also supposedly a better defender. However, do agree that hopefully someone will significantly overpay.

[Carp4Cy]

At the beginning of the offseason I wanted to keep Donovan but this type of talk is sure exciting. Ready to be impressed with the return.

Donovan is a winning ballplayer on an already good to great team --- he is not a difference maker on an average team, couple that with 2 years of control and anyone who thinks they have a shot to win in the next two years will be bidding. Good luck BD!!

I've made a few posts on here saying i think this could go similar to when the White Sox traded Adam Eaton years ago. Maybe Donovan represents a similar opportunity to find a glitch in the market and get a return even bigger than what the player is really worth. Right player, right time.

If the return on the Eaton trade was that good, the CWS sure didn’t capitalize on it.

The White Sox got the Nationals 1st(Lucas Giolito), 3rd(Reynaldo Lopez) and 6th(Dane Dunning) prospects. It doesn't matter what happened with them afterwards. It just goes to show what an overpayment for a player of similar value to Donovan looks like. I'd say Donovan is a step below Eaton but the intangibles are very similar.

It doesn't make the trade bad in isolation, but what does make the CWS org bad is not being able to make the right follow on trades to realize success.

Meanwhile, even the "overpay" worked out great for the Nats - as they won the 2019 WS. Trading prospects even in an overpay that doesn't prevent a WS win is a sign of a org doing things right overall.

What a team needs is a critical mass of MLB talent (and then to be managed well), not simply a critical mass of prospects. They have to do something productive with those prospects (develop them, add to them, build around them, flip them for needed producing talent etc) to actually be successful at the MLB level.

[Carp4Cy]

Also, Chaim has to be giddy at how polar opposite a position he is in now vs. when he was forced to trade Mookie Betts

Polar opposite would be acquiring a young Mookie Betts, proven and in his prime. Who would that be and when does this happen?

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Donovan is a nice player and it’s great to hear that there’s lots of interest. I’m not interested in just moving Donovan because his salary is going up BUT if Bloom and the Cardinals could actually get 2-3 mid to high level prospects for a reasonably priced all star like Donovan then they would be foolish not to do that.

But isn't that the whole reason we've been talking about trading Donovan going back to the trade deadline last season?

It's never been about just trading him to save money. It's trading him because he's our best player, who is affordable right now, thus he's likely to get the team a good return of prospects?

[rockondlouie]

The Winter Meetings may be quite exciting for Cardinal fans this year. Haven’t seen this much ‘buzz’ from media on Cardinsls for several years.

No doubt---Not since Whitey!

I've been really excited for the Winter Meetings knowing C. Bloom has the chance to really re-shape this roster and the minor league system.

Should be fun

[Pura Vida]

If trading your only AllStar doesn't spawn interest, you have real problems. Without knowing who they receive, this trade seems silly and pathetic. Nothing like moving laterally to improve a team.

[hugeCardfan]

I'm on the record for extending Donovan. We need good players too. Still, the chance to fix some of our pitching problem, finds me willing to see where a trade takes us. I trust Bloom to make a really good trade to the point I am willing to back off my position.

Just don't screw this one up. If Bloom can really help us, go ahead with a trade. If not, I am sanguine to keep him as an icon. He's a class act.

An icon? That seems a little hyperbolic. He's not going to get a statue. Icon should be reserved for guys like Pujols and Molina.

And he is not going to be extended. He wants to test free agency in 2 years. Cardinals would be foolish not to trade him considering this is a rebuild.

If you describe something or someone as an icon, you mean that they are important as a symbol of something. Carrying the word to extreme likely hyperbolizes its use for any ballplayer...even the Pujols and Molinas. Choose whatever word you prefer, I merely refer to a player who is admired for his talent and effort and remains with a team for all of his productive years.

In any event, I doubt we are in disagreement. I merely want Bloom to get great value for Donovan or not trade him at all. Neither of us really know if Donovan is insistent on trying free agency in 2 years.

[hugeCardfan]

I'm on the record for extending Donovan. We need good players too. Still, the chance to fix some of our pitching problem, finds me willing to see where a trade takes us. I trust Bloom to make a really good trade to the point I am willing to back off my position.

Just don't screw this one up. If Bloom can really help us, go ahead with a trade. If not, I am sanguine to keep him as an icon. He's a class act.

If they could sign BD for the next 5 seasons keeping him can make sense. Debatable anyway.
It takes both sides to agree though and we aren't on
the inside to know. If his tenure is only the next 2 seasons, it becomes a fairly easy choice

But yeah there's a reason contenders want him.

No argument.

[Hoosier59]

I'm on the record for extending Donovan. We need good players too. Still, the chance to fix some of our pitching problem, finds me willing to see where a trade takes us. I trust Bloom to make a really good trade to the point I am willing to back off my position.

Just don't screw this one up. If Bloom can really help us, go ahead with a trade. If not, I am sanguine to keep him as an icon. He's a class act.

If they could sign BD for the next 5 seasons keeping him can make sense. Debatable anyway.
It takes both sides to agree though and we aren't on
the inside to know. If his tenure is only the next 2 seasons, it becomes a fairly easy choice

But yeah there's a reason contenders want him.

No argument.

The longer they wait to extend Donovan, the more it will cost them, a lot more!
I believe if not for the injuries this past season, Donnie would have made a strong bid for the batting title, which would have gotten him the a silver Slugger award and not Burleson. This off season is the prime time to extend him on a very reasonable contract. However, DeWitt means to cut salaries, nothing else!
I might add now is also the time to extend Burleson, but they won’t.

[ramfandan]

If trading your only AllStar doesn't spawn interest, you have real problems. Without knowing who they receive, this trade seems silly and pathetic. Nothing like moving laterally to improve a team.

Remember each team by rule must have a player placed on the All Star team. Donovan got that spot. While I congratulate him on a very fine season, I truly wonder if he is traded to a playoff team for 2026 if he repeats getting an All Star designation .
I have my doubts.
Because he received the All Star spot as only Cardinal, that can be used in increasing his return on a deal. Every baseball rumor on him usually begins. Cardinal AllStar ….
The team can take advantage of that label. It may not be there next year.

[renostl]

I'm on the record for extending Donovan. We need good players too. Still, the chance to fix some of our pitching problem, finds me willing to see where a trade takes us. I trust Bloom to make a really good trade to the point I am willing to back off my position.

Just don't screw this one up. If Bloom can really help us, go ahead with a trade. If not, I am sanguine to keep him as an icon. He's a class act.

If they could sign BD for the next 5 seasons keeping him can make sense. Debatable anyway.
It takes both sides to agree though and we aren't on
the inside to know. If his tenure is only the next 2 seasons, it becomes a fairly easy choice

But yeah there's a reason contenders want him.

No argument.

The longer they wait to extend Donovan, the more it will cost them, a lot more!
I believe if not for the injuries this past season, Donnie would have made a strong bid for the batting title, which would have gotten him the a silver Slugger award and not Burleson. This off season is the prime time to extend him on a very reasonable contract. However, DeWitt means to cut salaries, nothing else!
I might add now is also the time to extend Burleson, but they won’t.

Yes, to some extent.
What is a reasonable top salary of BD on the open market? part of his appeal
today is his production being higher than his pay. That will decrease when market value
is the demand.
What is the reasonable term? Would they go past his 33 season? 34 season?
The Cardinals today are in a position like no other team. They're able to pay more
appropriately to his production now for a potentially small discount later.

Of course all of that is dependent on BD. Who knows if anything as ever been approached.
He is an Arb 2 guy, he contended the Arb 1, he is a good player. I'll speculate that it
has at least been talked about.

[renostl]

If trading your only AllStar doesn't spawn interest, you have real problems. Without knowing who they receive, this trade seems silly and pathetic. Nothing like moving laterally to improve a team.

Remember each team by rule must have a player placed on the All Star team. Donovan got that spot. While I congratulate him on a very fine season, I truly wonder if he is traded to a playoff team for 2026 if he repeats getting an All Star designation .
I have my doubts.
Because he received the All Star spot as only Cardinal, that can be used in increasing his return on a deal. Every baseball rumor on him usually begins. Cardinal AllStar ….
The team can take advantage of that label. It may not be there next year.

On the other side of all of that the Cardinals were once a team that the fans would stuff the ballot
box on their favorite players. I don't think that has been done recently.

His .775 OPS put him 3rd for qualified 2B in the NL so it wasn't a total gift.
Possible he never sees another ASG, but he also could go to a large market that stuffs the box.

[ICCFIM2]

Meanwhile Nado doesn’t have this Huge market, and might actually be back despite best efforts.

Once again Bregman is clouding the Arenado trade situation, but now there are two Japanese players that are also available. When all the dust settles, there might still be a place for him, but at what cost? It’s more probable that teams would be more interested in Gorman, than Arenado at that point. If last Spring training was awkward for Arenado, what will this Spring training be like if he is still with the Cardinals. It all started with Mo, but the Cardinals really have mishandled this whole situation!

How did the Cardinals mishandle this situation other than not putting a better team around Arenado and Goldschmidt in 2022 when they were in peak form?

MO had a trade worked out with Houston last offseason, which apparently was on the list of teams Arenado would go to. Arenado turned it down, which I found rather foolish on his part. That park is made for him. Then there was no market for him. His further bad play in 2025 almost insures there is no market for him this winter without the Cards eating lots of salary.