SF Giants Rumors: Negotiations with Cardinals for Brendan Donovan have stalled

The SF Giants have been linked to St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan for much of the offseason, but a recent report suggests that momentum for a deal has stalled which means the Giants may not be able to land the highly-coveted Donovan.

According to Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic, talks for Donovan slowed down after St. Louis traded Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox. This comes after the Giants were reportedly one of the front-runners, alongside the Seattle Mariners, for Donovan.

SF Giants trade talks with Cardinals for Brendan Donovan have reportedly stalled

Woo and Sammon write: "Traction with Donovan appeared to be building shortly after the Winter Meetings, with the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants emerging as frontrunners. However, negotiations stalled as the Contreras trade began to take shape."

They also report that this has to do with the Cardinals' desire to get a good prospect haul for Donovan while with the Contreras and Sonny Gray trades they really just wanted to get those contracts off the books.

Donovan is projected to make $5.75 million next season which is not an onerous contract at all for a guy who slashed .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs and 50 runs batted in and made the National League All-Star team.

Previous reports suggested the Giants were open to parting with both top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt and their 2025 first-round draft pick Gavin Kilen. The Cardinals reportedly want two prospects in return for Donovan so we will see if the Giants are willing to part with two solid prospects in order to upgrade at second base.

Casey Schmitt was solid for the Giants at second base last season, but Donovan would represent a decided upgrade at the position. He is a high-contact hitter which is an offensive profile the Giants are sorely missing in a lineup filled with guys who swing and miss a lot.

The Giants would probably be fine with rolling with Schmitt as their second baseman to start 2026 with Christian Koss and Tyler Fitzgerald as backup options if he struggles, but second base and right field are probably the two areas the Giants can improve the most on offensively.

What will complicate trade talks for Donovan is the fact that the Boston Red Sox are also reportedly in the mix for him which will make things harder for the Giants if other teams offer a more enticing prospect haul.

If the Giants miss out on Donovan, they could pivot to someone else but we will see if the Giants remain involved if the Donovan trade talks pick up steam again.