Donovan is an obvious target. The Astros are very right-handed. They tried to balance the lineup with the deadline trade for Jesus Sanchez of the Marlins. Sánchez has been terrible as of late and will likely be traded or non-tendered within the next week. That leaves the Astros alone Jordan Alvarez like an everyday left-handed bat. Starting outfielders Zach Cole or Jacob Melton could work their way into the mix, but it’s clear that adding a lefty hitter will be a priority.
There are few better ones known to be commercially available than Donovan. The 28-year-old (29 in January) is hitting .287/.353/.422 over 515 plate appearances. He is a .282/.361/.411 career hitter through four seasons. Donovan has enough power for 10-15 home runs and 30+ doubles, while his excellent contact skills make him a safe bet for hitting for average. Like most lefty hitters, he is much better against right-handed pitching, but against lefties he has hit a reasonable .325 clip against lefties in his career. He fits at the top of a lineup against righties and is playable if not spectacular against same-handed pitchers.
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Donovan has the multi-positional versatility to suit any number of teams. He has already been linked to the Guardians and Royals this season. The Yankees and Dodgers have shown interest in the past. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk explored several other possibilities last month. Houston would primarily use him at his natural second base position, where they don’t really have an everyday player. They still plan to move Jose Altuve between second and left field, where he and Alvarez would split time when the other isn’t the designated hitter. Donovan can also play either corner position in the outfield, and some teams may feel he can hold his own in either spot on the left side of the infield.
The Cardinals are committing to a realignment under first-year president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. Donovan has completed his last two seasons in club control. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him at a salary of $5.4 million. That will likely be in the $8-10 million range for 2027. There’s no indication the Cards will seriously pursue an extension, so an offseason trade seems likely given the amount of interest they’ll receive from teams currently in contention. Among their realistic trade candidates (i.e. exclusive Win), Donovan has the best chance to make an impactful prospect return.
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