Brendan Donovan Is the Solution

[Sam Charles]

As speculation intensifies about what the Blue Jays will do after missing out on star free agents Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, the conversation has naturally drifted toward Cody Bellinger. But focusing on a marquee outfielder isn’t what this situation calls for. The Jays don’t need another outfielder, not when the outfield is already crowded with elite defenders and established starters. What the team truly needs is a left-handed hitting infielder with legitimate on-base ability, sneaky pop, positional versatility and club control. A player who deepens the roster while reshaping the lineup’s identity.

That player is Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Donovan isn’t a flashy superstar, nor is he the type of player who breaks jersey-sales records or anchors marketing campaigns. He’s something far more valuable. He is a high-IQ grinder who offers a left-handed high-contact bat, a relentless on-base presence, and a Swiss Army knife defence. He can credibly play almost anywhere on the diamond. In many ways, he represents the modern version of Ben Zobrist, the player who quietly made every team he joined better, not by posting big numbers but by elevating the entire lineup through consistency, discipline and versatility.

Last season, he was sidelined a bit with injuries but still managed to hit .287 in 118 games with 10 homeruns, 50 RBIs and a .775 OPS. By comparison, Bichette hit .311 with 18 homeruns, 94 RBIs and a .840 OPS.

Sliding Donovan into the top of the lineup, whether in the leadoff spot or hitting second, would instantly change the complexion of Toronto’s offense. The Jays have become a team defined by streakiness, bouts of impatience and an over-reliance on power production.

Last season exposed those flaws in painful detail. Even in their most successful stretches, the club struggled with situational hitting and failed repeatedly to move runners across the diamond. The heartbreaking bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the World Series last year only underscored how glaring these issues were. But those moments weren’t isolated, they were a recurring theme.

Now, after missing out on both Tucker and Bichette, the Jays remain competitive but unbalanced. The lineup lacks aggression, contact ability and left-handed steadiness. Sure, a rebound season from Anthony Santander could help in the power department, but hinging the entire offensive resurgence on one player is a shaky proposition.

Donovan represents stability. He is the counterweight to Toronto’s long-standing offensive volatility. He extends innings, grinds out tough at-bats, and forces pitchers to work. He doesn’t chase out of the zone, he hits line drives consistently, and he brings the exact offensive profile the Jays have been trying and failing to acquire for years.

They targeted Michael Brantley twice. They tried internal options like Cavan Biggio. They attempted to patch the imbalance with platoons and part-time role players. None of those experiments produced the reliability or the well-rounded skillset that Donovan already provides.

Donovan is Daulton Varsho without the strikeouts. A contact-and-discipline-first lefty bat with sneaky power and elite bat-to-ball skills. Those players don’t become available often.

Apart from his hitting, Donovan’s value is his defensive versatility. Over his young career, he has played every position on the diamond except catcher and centre field. That opens the door to endless lineup configurations, late-game adjustments and injury insurance options.

His versatility would also allow the team to keep veterans rested and avoid overexposing prospects without sacrificing lineup strength. Few players offer that kind of roster elasticity. Even fewer offer it while hitting near .300 with elite plate discipline and club control through 2027.

If Toronto is trying to build not just a strong 2026 team but a sustainable competitive core, Donovan fits that blueprint perfectly.

Of course, acquiring a player like Donovan won’t be cheap. He is coveted across the league. The Mariners, Giants, Red Sox, Royals and Astros have all been linked to him. The Cardinals have made it clear they want to complete a deal before Spring Training, but no trade has materialized, which would indicated that their asking price is steep.

The Cardinals are deep in a retooling phase after dealing Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado. Their needs to appear to be pitching and power. Their rotation has been a revolving door of bargain-bin veterans, pitch-to-contact gambles and reclamation experiments. Without Contreras and Arenado in the lineup, they need some pop.

The Jays’ winter has created a roster with both surplus and solutions. Their pitching depth is immense, especially after the additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. José Berríos, once the Jays’ co-ace, now projects as their fourth or even fifth starter. That’s an enviable problem for Toronto, and an opportunity for St. Louis.

The Jays could headline a deal with José Berríos, packaging him with Ernie Clement, Clement is a cheap, useful, contact-oriented utility player who offers St. Louis a lighter version of Donovan.

Some back-and-forth prospects would likely be required to balance money and organizational needs, but the fundamentals make sense. St. Louis gets a true front-line starter to stabilize their rotation and the Jays converts a surplus into an ideal lineup fit without weakening the pitching depth chart.

Berríos expressed visible frustration near the end of last season, and with his role shrinking, a change of scenery may benefit both sides.

If the Jays prefer to keep their MLB core intact, they could offer Adam Macko and David Schneider. Macko is a high-upside left-handed pitching prospect. They might also include a secondary lower-tier prospect. In return, they’d aim for Donovan plus a minor-league arm.

This version of the deal would allow both clubs to re-balance their systems without radically altering their major-league foundations.

The Cardinals, like most teams chatting with the Jays about potential trades, would want to replace Macko with Ricky Tiedemann.

Donovan could help take the Jays to the next level (and a championship). He elevates stars by getting on base ahead of them. He raises the floor of the offense, stabilizes the defense and all while bringing years of affordable control.

Toronto has the assets. St. Louis has the need. The fit is there.

Missing out on Tucker and Bichette dampened the mood around an otherwise outstanding offseason for Toronto. While the Jays remain one move short of being truly complete, Donovan could be the finishing touch. His presence would balance the lineup, diversify offensive approaches and fortify the infield while giving Manager John Schneider even more flexibility when building the lineup day in and day out.

For a club aiming to contend in 2026 and beyond, Donovan isn’t just an option, he’s the answer.

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[Leo Morgenstern]

Obviously, Donovan lacks the star power of a Tucker or Bichette. And adding star power is presumably the number one reason the Jays were in the market for those guys. But in terms of fit, Donovan really is kind of perfect. He's the lefty impact bat we've been hearing that the Jays want all offseason, he'd replace the bat-to-ball skills the Jays lost in Bichette, and the defensive versatility makes him easy to slot in anywhere.