The San Francisco Giants are reportedly 'aggressively pursuing' a second baseman
The St. Louis Cardinals settled one of the longest-running recent sagas Jan. 13.
The Cardinals traded away multi-time Platinum Glove-winning third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks in return for pitching prospect Jack Martinez. St. Louis has been attempting to trade Arenado since last offseason.
Arenado was the latest established veteran the Cardinals have traded in the last year. They dealt closer Ryan Helsley at the trade deadline and have moved both starting pitcher Sonny Gray and first baseman/catcher Willson Contreras this offseason, both to the Boston Red Sox.
And St. Louis might not be done yet.
According to a report on "X" from ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, the San Francisco Giants are "aggressively pursuing" a second baseman.
According to Passan's report, San Francisco is engaged with St. Louis in trade talks involving 2025 All-Star Brendan Donovan and Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner.
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Passan's report aligns with others that have been out for weeks. The Athletic's Katie Woo reported back on Dec. 13 the Seattle Mariners and Giants were the front-runners to land Donovan.
Donovan was the Cardinals' only All-Star from this past season. He slashed .287/.353/.422 with a .775 OPS in 118 games. He hit 32 doubles and 10 home runs with 50 RBIs.
If Woo's reporting from a month ago remains accurate, St. Louis is looking for multiple top prospects in return for Donovan. San Francisco infielder Gavin Kilen and left-handed pitcher Carson Whisenhunt have been mentioned in conversations.
Donovan is under team control through the 2027 season. He will be under arbitration both years.
It's no secret that St. Louis is currently in a rebuild. And this past year, the organization has made a litany of moves to build assets for the future.
The Cardinals could also be one of the most active teams at the 2026 trade deadline. Starting pitcher Dustin May and right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek were both signed to cheap one-year deals and there's been speculation that if either has a solid first-half, they could be dealt away at the deadline.
St. Louis' roster could be in constant flux through at least the first half of 2026 as the organization continues to add more assets to the organization for the future.
Whatever next season looks like for the Cardinals, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom and the rest of the front office have several directions to travel in terms of roster reconstruction. And Donovan might be the final big domino to fall in that effort.
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