<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-mariners-giants-favorites-land-brendan-donovan');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: Mariners, Giants favorites to land Brendan Donovan');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Brendan-Donovan_2bd376.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: Mariners, Giants favorites to land Brendan Donovan</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-13T20:03:50-08:00">December 13th, 8:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-13T20:21:00-08:00">December 13th, 8:21pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals are in rebuilding mode after missing the playoffs for the third straight year in 2025. The team is looking to move several players this offseason, including Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras. However, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-cardinals-hold-1-of-mlbs-most-popular-trade-targets">Cardinals’ most coveted trade target</a>, and therefore the team’s most valuable asset, is Brendan Donovan.</p><p>The 28-year-old utility player made his first All-Star Game in 2025. And, while the Cardinals have signaled that it would <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-godfather-offer-needed-brendan-donovan-trade">take a massive haul to land Donovan</a>, teams have continued to inquire.</p><p>Following MLB’s Winter Meetings, trade talks involving Donovan have heated up. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6887340/2025/12/13/mariners-giants-brendan-donovan-trade-partner/" rel="noopener">Two teams</a> have emerged as the favorites to land the four-year pro. The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants are viewed as the top contenders for a Donovan deal, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.</p><h2><b>Cardinals contemplate Brendan Donovan deal</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Brendan-Donovan-2.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Donovan is prized for his defensive versatility and productive bat. He won a Gold Glove in 2022 and has demonstrated his ability to field a number of positions as a super-utility player. Donovan is coming off a strong year at the plate as well. He slashed .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs, 32 doubles, 50 RBI and 64 runs in 118 games for the Cardinals.</p><p>St. Louis has made it clear that it’s looking for a package of top-ranked prospects in a trade. Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, the Mariners’ <a href="https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/mariners" rel="noopener">No. 7 prospect</a> per MLB Pipeline, has come up in talks with the Cardinals. As has outfielder Lazaro Montes (Seattle’s No. 3 prospect).</p><p>San Francisco is also reportedly aggressively pursuing Donovan. LHP Carson Whisenhunt, the Giants’ <a href="https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/giants/" rel="noopener">No. 7 prospect</a>, and middle infielder Gavin Kilen (No. 3) have been discussed in a potential deal.</p><p>The competition for Donovan’s services is working to the Cardinals’ advantage as the team looks to restock its farm system during a rebuild. Donovan is an attractive option due to his on-field abilities as well as his contract. The All-Star utility player is under club control through the 2027 season. And he’s set to make a reasonable $5.75 million in 2026.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: Mariners, Giants favorites to land Brendan Donovan

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-sign-ex-dodgers-red-sox-pitcher');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals sign ex-Dodgers, Red Sox pitcher');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Dustin-May-1.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals sign ex-Dodgers, Red Sox pitcher</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-13T15:32:28-08:00">December 13th, 3:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-13T15:32:28-08:00">December 13th, 3:32pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to <a href="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/1999956006567321988/" rel="noopener">a one-year contract</a> with right-handed pitcher Dustin May, pending a physical. It is St. Louis first impactful free-agent acquisition of the Chaim Bloom era as the club continues its rebuild heading into the 2026 season.</p><p>May was one of the youngest free agents available and attracted interest across the league due to his combination of age, raw stuff, and track record at the major league level. The 28-year-old split the 2025 season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-news-dustin-may-trade-dodgers">after Los Angeles traded him at the deadline</a>. In 25 appearances, including 23 starts, he posted a 7–11 record with a 4.96 ERA while throwing a career-high 132⅓ innings. That workload exceeded his combined total from 2021 through 2024, making the past season his first relatively healthy season after multiple significant setbacks.</p><p>Boston acquired May in exchange for outfield prospects Zach Ehrhard and James Tibbs III, but the move did not provide the expected rotation stability. With the Red Sox, May recorded a 5.40 ERA in six games before landing on the injured list in early September with right elbow neuritis, which kept him out of the postseason. The struggles were preceded by an inconsistent stretch with the Dodgers, during which he recorded a 4.85 ERA in 19 games.</p><p>May has battled multiple injuries over his career. He returned in 2025 after a Tommy John revision for a Grade 2 UCL sprain and flexor tendon surgery in his right elbow in 2023, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-dustin-may-miss-rest-of-season-concerning-esophagus-injury">followed by a torn esophagus in July 2024</a> that required surgery. Over seven big-league seasons, injuries have limited him to 324 innings across 71 games, 57 of them starts.</p><p>Statistically, May owns a 3.86 career ERA with 297 strikeouts, 100 walks, and 35 home runs allowed. Producing a 46.6% ground-ball rate, May’s sinker has consistently shown its effectiveness, previously reaching the high-90s in speed. In 2025, his average sinker velocity dipped to 94.5 mph as he worked to regain weight lost following surgery. Standing 6-foot-6, May increased his weight from 185 pounds early in the season to approximately 205 by year’s end and has since added more mass.</p><p>Pitch-wise, May relies heavily on a sweeper with elite horizontal movement, pairing it with a sinker that breaks sharply in the opposite direction. He also mixes in a four-seam fastball and a cutter, giving him a diverse fastball-heavy arsenal. Before his UCL injury in 2021, he carried a 2.93 ERA through his first 31 appearances and played a key role in Los Angeles’ 2020 World Series championship.</p><p>For the Cardinals, May is a high-upside addition. With Sonny Gray traded earlier in the offseason, he will join Michael McGreevy, Matthew Liberatore, and other young arms in the rotation, offering innings while hoping to regain his earlier form.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals sign ex-Dodgers, Red Sox pitcher

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-nolan-arenado-st-louis-trades-almost-certain-happen');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: Nolan Arenado among St. Louis trades ‘almost certain’ to happen');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Nolan-Arenado-of-the-St.-Louis-Cardinals-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Curry-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: Nolan Arenado among St. Louis trades ‘almost certain’ to happen</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T13:47:03-08:00">December 11th, 1:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T13:47:03-08:00">December 11th, 1:47pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Rumors suggest <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-cardinals-hold-1-of-mlbs-most-popular-trade-targets">the St. Louis Cardinals are in for a busy offseason</a>, as it sounds like the front office could be making multiple trades. One player to keep an eye on is Nolan Arenado, as one MLB Insider believes it is likely the star third baseman gets moved at some point.</p><p>During a guest appearance on “The MLB Network,” Insider Jon Morosi claims that the Cardinals could be making one or two trades this offseason. Of the players who could be dealt, Morosi believes Arenado, who is 34 years old, seems to <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1999210579001770170" rel="noopener">be destined to be traded</a>.</p><p>“I do believe that by the end of the calendar year, [there will be] at least one, maybe two trades involving the St. Louis Cardinals,” said Morosi. “They have already moved Sonny Gray. Nolan Arenado, I would say, is almost certain to be moved. Of course, it just seems like it’s time, and the Cardinals have acknowledged moving the contract to a place where he wants to go is an important one.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I do believe that by the end of the calendar year, [there will be] at least one, maybe two trades involving the St. Louis Cardinals.” – <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonmorosi</a></p><p>Busy offseason coming in St. Louis? <a href="https://t.co/i89zR9Utf2">pic.twitter.com/i89zR9Utf2</a></p><p>— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1999210579001770170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Arenado had a bit of a down year in 2025. Despite that, he should still fetch plenty of interest on the trade market if the Cardinals do decide to deal him away. The eight-time All-Star third baseman ended last season with a .237 batting average (career-low) and .289 OBP (career-low) while recording 95 hits, 12 home runs, and 52 RBIs in 401 at-bats.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-what-st-louis-must-do-respectable-trade-return-nolan-arenado">Nolan Arenado missed</a> 55 games for the Cardinals due to a shoulder injury, but he is expected to be fully healthy by the start of spring training. It’s unclear which teams could be interested in the seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, but based on the rumors, he could be traded at any point this offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: Nolan Arenado among St. Louis trades ‘almost certain’ to happen

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-cardinals-hold-1-of-mlbs-most-popular-trade-targets');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Cardinals hold 1 of MLB’s ‘most popular trade targets’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Brendan-Donovan-could-be-a-valuable-asset-for-multiple-teams.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Cardinals hold 1 of MLB’s ‘most popular trade targets’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T10:35:17-08:00">December 11th, 10:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T10:35:17-08:00">December 11th, 10:35am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-oli-marmol-drops-measured-take-willson-contreras-trade-rumors">trade rumors surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals</a> and a bevy of stars on the team, one player that has been coveted by other teams is second baseman Brendan Donovan. Though there have been discussions about <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-godfather-offer-needed-brendan-donovan-trade">potential offers for Donovan that the Cardinals will make</a>, it could come as a surprise to some to see the interest others in the MLB have for the 28-year-old.</p><p>Donovan is coming off the best season of his career, recording a .287 batting average to go along with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 118 games. MLB insider Mark Feinsand would write his latest column about what was learned after the past Winter Meetings, with one point mentioning that Donovan is <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-free-agent-trade-rumors-after-winter-meetings-2025" rel="noopener">“one of the most popular trade targets,”</a> along with the obvious reported ones in Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras.</p><h2><b>What an offer would need to look like for Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Brendan-Donovan.jpg"><figcaption>Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This tracks, as there have been many reports on the high interest level for Donovan, as many teams could use a second baseman as good as him. ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel would report that, besides Donovan being a “coveted” player in the market, the team won’t be quick to move, unless <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47166190/mlb-offseason-2025-2026-trade-candidate-player-rankings-skubal-marte-buxton-peralta" rel="noopener">“they receive an offer they simply can’t refuse.”</a></p><p>“Donovan continues to be one of the most coveted trade candidates available, but the Cardinals are not inclined to move him unless they receive an offer they simply can’t refuse,” they wrote. “On the surface, it makes sense for St. Louis to trade their lone All-Star representative. Donovan is fresh off the best year of his career and will be a free agent after the 2027 season, a timeline multiple sources within the organization concede will not line up with the team’s next competitive window.”</p><p>It remains to be seen if St. Louis trades Donovan as the team looks to improve after finishing 78-84 last season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Cardinals hold 1 of MLB’s ‘most popular trade targets’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-oli-marmol-drops-measured-take-willson-contreras-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals’ Oli Marmol drops measured take on Willson Contreras trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Willson-Contreras-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals’ Oli Marmol drops measured take on Willson Contreras trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-08T14:32:13-08:00">December 8th, 2:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-08T14:32:13-08:00">December 8th, 2:32pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As there have been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-willson-contreras-pulls-180-trade-desires">rumors surrounding St. Louis Cardinals star Willson Contreras</a> and a potential trade that could be coming this winter or before next season, one person within the ball club has given their thoughts on the matter. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-st-louis-claims-guardians-pitcher">Cardinals are looking for ways to boost</a> their team, manager Oli Marmol would speak about Contreras and the likelihood of a potential deal.</p><p>The catcher and first baseman for St. Louis has a no-trade clause in his contract, and as he used that in last season’s trade deadline, signaling to some that he wants to stay, the talk grows louder of him wanting to go elsewhere. While not confirmed 100 percent, Marmol would give his thoughts, saying to Foul Territory that Contreras <a href="https://x.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1998105298985496586?s=20" rel="noopener">“loves”</a> being a part of the team, while also saying that he has to make a decision that’s best for his family.</p><p>“Willson has been clear about, he loves being here in St Louis, and he loves the group and being a part of building this group up to get to where we want to get to,” Marmol said. “But at the same time, it’s going to have to make sense more for not only him, but his family. And he’s the type of guy you can have these conversations with.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Oli Marmol says Willson Contreras feels at home in St. Louis, but if a fit elsewhere makes sense, then it's a conversation he's able to have. <a href="https://t.co/GtZ7bmSDXJ">pic.twitter.com/GtZ7bmSDXJ</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1998105298985496586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Willson Contreras is “upfront” with the Cardinals </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cardinals-C-1B-Willson-Contreras.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-insider-suggests-st-louis-could-release-nolan-arenado-if-trade-fails-to-happen">rumors around the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado</a> and other players, Contreras is the one that fans wonder about, as he hit a .257 batting average to go along with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs last season. One aspect that Marmol mentioned is how “upfront” Contreras is with the manager and the franchise.</p><p>“He’s very upfront,” Marmol said. “He loves where he’s at, he loves the situation in St Louis, he feels at home, but at the same time, if it makes sense, then it’s a conversation. So we’ll see kind of where that leads.”</p><p>At any rate, it remains to be seen what happens with Contreras as St. Louis looks to improve after finishing with a 78-84 record.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals’ Oli Marmol drops measured take on Willson Contreras trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-st-louis-claims-guardians-pitcher');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals claim Guardians pitcher in move to boost depth');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Oli-Marmol.jpg"><figcaption>D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals claim Guardians pitcher in move to boost depth</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-05T19:44:42-08:00">December 5th, 7:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-05T19:44:42-08:00">December 5th, 7:44pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The St. Louis Cardinals have added right-handed reliever Zak Kent to their organization, <a href="https://x.com/Cardinals/status/1997056235082801261" rel="noopener">claiming him off waivers</a> from the Cleveland Guardians, the club announced on Friday. The move fills a spot on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, bringing it to 39 and ensuring the team can fully participate in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando.</p><p>Kent made his Major League debut with Cleveland in 2025 after six seasons in the minor leagues. In his first MLB action, he appeared in 12 games out of the Guardians’ bullpen, logging 17⅔ innings with a 1-0 record and a 4.58 ERA. Over that span, the 27-year-old struck out 16 batters while walking eight, resulting in a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 10.5% walk rate. His fastball averaged 92.6 mph, complemented by a low-usage sinker at 93.6 mph, while his slider and curveball, both considered plus breaking pitches, were his primary weapons.</p><p>Kent relied heavily on his slider this past season, using it 39% of the time and holding opponents to a .138 batting average with eight strikeouts, according to Baseball Savant. However, his sub-par fastball velocity and inconsistent command have been notable weaknesses.</p><p>In the minors, Kent pitched 38 innings across 34 Triple-A appearances with a 2.84 ERA. He struck out 50 batters and walked 21, showing the swing-and-miss potential that St. Louis hopes to harness. The Texas Rangers originally selected him in the ninth round in 2019, and Cleveland acquired him via trade in March 2024.</p><p>Kent is out of minor league options but is eligible for a fourth option year, meaning St. Louis could keep him in the majors out of Spring Training or attempt to send him down through waivers. He will compete for a bullpen spot in 2026 alongside Richard Fitts, Gordon Graceffo, Andre Granillo, Nick Raquet, and Chris Roycroft, with additional openings possible if JoJo Romero is traded. Romero recorded eight saves in nine chances and a 2.07 ERA over 65 appearances in 2025, and he is eligible for salary arbitration this winter.</p><p>The acquisition of Kent fits the Cardinals’ broader strategy under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, along with assistant GM Rob Cerfolio and director of player development Larry Day. Both Cerfolio and Day spent multiple years with Cleveland and were likely influential in identifying Kent as a potential bullpen asset. This addition comes in the wake of the team trading veteran right-hander Sonny Gray and exploring options for other players.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals claim Guardians pitcher in move to boost depth

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-godfather-offer-needed-brendan-donovan-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: Godfather offer needed for Brendan Donovan trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Brendan-Donovan.jpg"><figcaption>Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: Godfather offer needed for Brendan Donovan trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T08:17:21-08:00">December 2nd, 8:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T08:17:21-08:00">December 2nd, 8:17am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-2-trades-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-deal">St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to host a fire sale</a> with the Winter Meeting set to open up. However, one player will take a king’s ransom to pry away from St. Louis Cardinals.</p><p>Infielder/outfielder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-brendan-donovan-prime-trade-candidate-offseason">Brendan Donovan represented the Cardinals in the 2025 All-Star Game</a>. Likely many of his teammates, he is on the trade. But actually landing Donovan in a trade <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47166190/mlb-offseason-2025-2026-trade-candidate-player-rankings-skubal-marte-buxton-peralta" rel="noopener">is another story</a>, via Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN.</p><p>“Donovan continues to be one of the most coveted trade candidates available, but the Cardinals are not inclined to move him unless they receive an offer they simply can’t refuse,” Passan and McDaniel wrote. “On the surface, it makes sense for St. Louis to trade their lone All-Star representative. Donovan is fresh off the best year of his career and will be a free agent after the 2027 season, a timeline multiple sources within the organization concede will not line up with the team’s next competitive window.”</p><p>Donovan’s contract plays a big role in his trade candidacy. Not a free agent until after 2027, the acquiring team can pencil him into their plans for at least the next two seasons. On the flip side, St. Louis could cash in before Donovan walks for free in free agency.</p><p>The versatile slugger caught plenty of attention during his All-Star season. Over 118 games, Donovan hit .287 with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs. Over his entire four year career with the Cardinals, he has hit .282 with 40 home runs, 202 RBIs ad 15 stolen bases.</p><p>Donovan’s name is certain to continue coming up in Cardinals trade discussions. But St. Louis must be blown away to agree to a deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: Godfather offer needed for Brendan Donovan trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-insider-gives-scoop-on-nolan-arenado-trade-challenges');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: Insider gives scoop on Nolan Arenado trade challenges');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Cardinals-third-baseman-Nolan-Arenado-28-fields-a-ground-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Puetz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: Insider gives scoop on Nolan Arenado trade challenges</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T08:00:44-08:00">December 2nd, 8:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T08:00:44-08:00">December 2nd, 8:00am</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Nolan Arenado is perhaps now on the back nine of his baseball career, but the St. Louis Cardinals star third baseman is still capable with his bat and glove.</p><p>Two years removed from his last All-Star season, Arenado is finding himself in the middle of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-2-trades-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-deal">another round of rumors about a potential trade</a>, as the MLB’s yearly Winter Meeting looms.</p><p>Trading Arenado comes with its challenges for the St. Louis President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals’ front office. For one, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/mlb-rumors-cardinals-still-trying-to-trade-nolan-arenado-do-dodgers-want-him">has a full no-trade clause</a> on his contract, giving him great leverage and dictating power, as mentioned by Katie Woo of The Athletic.</p><p>Wrote Woo: “This remains the most crucial task for Bloom, but just because it’s at the top of the priority list doesn’t mean the executive will operate in order. Multiple team sources agree that trading Arenado will be the most difficult endeavor of the offseason.</p><p>The reasons are essentially the same as last year. Arenado’s full no-trade clause, his preference to play for a contender and the lack of clarity in the third-base market all signal a trade taking place in the latter half of the winter. One aspect that has changed is ownership’s willingness to include money in a deal, as evidenced by the Gray trade.”</p><p>Then there’s the apparent waiting game on when the dominoes will start to fall in the third baseman market.</p><p>” Similar to last year, the third-base market has to develop for the Cardinals to know what options are available. Multiple industry sources pointed towards Eugenio Suárez and Alex Bregman (again) as names to watch before Arenado’s market forms. The Japanese market, particularly corner infielder Munetaka Murakami, will also come into play,” added Woo.</p><p>Over the last two seasons, Arenado, who turned 34 in April, has hit just .257/.310/.387 with 28 home runs, 123 RBIs and a <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arenano01.shtml#2024-2025-sum:players_standard_batting" rel="noopener">96 OPS+ across 259 games</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: Insider gives scoop on Nolan Arenado trade challenges

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-willson-contreras-pulls-180-trade-desires');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: Willson Contreras pulls 180 on trade desires');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Willson-Contreras.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Puetz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: Willson Contreras pulls 180 on trade desires</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-02T07:47:50-08:00">December 2nd, 7:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-02T07:47:50-08:00">December 2nd, 7:47am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut-based sports journalist with over five years of professional experience. After graduating from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, he has covered every sport from fencing to football in the online and print medium. Dan hopes to see his beloved Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the Winter Meetings open up, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-2-trades-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-deal">St. Louis Cardinals are expected to be one of the more active teams</a> on the trade market. As they continue their fire sale, another veteran has joined the list of potential Cardinals trade candidates.</p><p>First baseman <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-3-players-refused-waive-no-trade-clause-deadline">Willson Contreras refused to waive his no-trade clause at the deadline</a>, seemingly professing his desire to stay in St. Louis. However, with the Cardinals now clearly operating as sellers, Contreras <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6852885/2025/12/02/cardinals-trade-plans-winter-meetings/" rel="noopener">has had a change of heart</a>, via Katie Woo of The Athletic.</p><p>“They also have another name to consider shopping. Despite saying at the end of the season that he’d prefer to stay with the Cardinals, Willson Contreras is open to trade offers and has become more willing to waive his full no-trade clause for the right fit, multiple league sources told The Athletic,” Woo wrote.</p><p>The Cardinals aren’t as committed to trading Contreras as they are Nolan Arenado. There’s still a chance the first baseman enters the season with St. Louis. But if the right offer comes along, new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom won’t hesitate to react. With two years remaining on his contract, perhaps the trade interest in Contreras goes up.</p><p>His work on the diamond in 2025 will certainly help his prospect. In his first full season as a first baseman, Contreras hit .257 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs over 135 games. His RBI total marked a new career high while his games played were Contreras’ most since 2018.</p><p>The Cardinals are officially open for business throughout the offseason. Don’t be surprised if they end up dealing away Contreras.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: Willson Contreras pulls 180 on trade desires

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-oliver-marmol-survive-st-louis-rebuild');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: St. Louis is rebuilding. Will Oliver Marmol be part of long-term future?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cardinals-manager-Oliver-Marmol-in-game-vs-Giants.jpg"><figcaption>Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: St. Louis is rebuilding. Will Oliver Marmol be part of long-term future?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-27T08:25:53-08:00">November 27th, 8:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-27T08:25:53-08:00">November 27th, 8:25am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-sonny-gray-red-sox-trade-comes-with-20-million-twist">St. Louis Cardinals pushed deeper into their rebuild after trading Sonny Gray</a> to the Boston Red Sox, and now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-insider-suggests-st-louis-could-release-nolan-arenado-if-trade-fails-to-happen">every move in MLB Free Agency feels like a referendum on what comes next</a> — including the future of Oliver Marmol. The Cardinals made its intentions clear when it moved its highest-paid pitcher for future flexibility, young depth, and a longer runway. The urgency is obvious and the timeline has shifted. And suddenly, the manager who once guided them through chaotic seasons <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/cardinals-have-had-preliminary-extension-talks-with-manager-oli-marmol.html" rel="noopener">stands at the center</a> of a very different conversation.</p><p>Marmol’s name has resurfaced as front-office whispers grow louder. According to league chatter, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-st-louis-decision-oliver-marmol-2026">the Cardinals and Oliver Marmol have engaged in preliminary extension talks</a>. Nothing concrete. Nothing rushed. But enough to remind fans that stability still matters when a franchise tears itself down to build it back up. The Cardinals want alignment. Marmol wants clarity. And both sides know that a rebuild tests the patience of everyone under the stadium lights.</p><h2>Can Oliver Marmol guide the Cardinals’ next era?</h2><p>The real question is simple. Do the Cardinals trust Oliver Marmol to shape the clubhouse through the hardest stretch of their transition? His tenure has seen highs, collapses, and everything in between. He has navigated injuries, young cores, and public pressure. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-2-trades-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-deal">But a full Cardinals rebuild, coming right after the Sonny Gray trade reset expectations</a>, is a different weight. It demands development, communication, and demands a voice players follow even when the standings look bleak.</p><p>Marmol has supporters inside the organization who believe his calm approach fits a long game. He also has critics who want a new identity to match the new direction. That tension will define this winter as MLB Free Agency unfolds and the Cardinals decide whether continuity is an anchor or a chain.</p><p>So the spotlight stays on him. And the question lingers in the chill of November air: is Oliver Marmol the manager who leads the next great Cardinals chapter, or the final bridge to it?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: St. Louis is rebuilding. Will Oliver Marmol be part of long-term future?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-what-st-louis-must-do-respectable-trade-return-nolan-arenado');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: What St. Louis must do to get respectable trade return for Nolan Arenado');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Nolan-Arenado-rounds-the-bases.jpg"><figcaption>© Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: What St. Louis must do to get respectable trade return for Nolan Arenado</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-26T14:21:34-08:00">November 26th, 2:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-26T14:21:34-08:00">November 26th, 2:21pm</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MLB offseason is here, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-ex-player-explains-consider-keeping-nolan-arenado">St. Louis Cardinals are weighing their options on Nolan Arenado,</a> as they try to see what to do with him. Bon Nightengale <a href="https://x.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1993769224540438568" rel="noopener">explained what the team must do,</a> as the Cards try to get a good trade return for their longtime star.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The more money they eat, the better prospect they get."<a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BNightengale</a> wouldn't be shocked to see the Cardinals eat a significant chunk of Nolan Arenado's contract. <a href="https://t.co/YcLgR0iAQ3">pic.twitter.com/YcLgR0iAQ3</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1993769224540438568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Nightengale explained that there is a chance the Cards might have to eat a chunk of the contract this offseason. Moreover, to entice a team to give them a great prospect, they would likely have to offer a good return. After going 78-84 and missing the playoffs, there are a lot of questions in St. Louis. Some believe the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-nolan-arenado-trade-offseason">Cardinals should trade Arenado</a> in the MLB offseason. With Nolan Gorman already ready to take over at third, the Cards can opt to get younger and find a new home for Arenado.</p><p>Arenado has had a great career, batting .282 with 353 career home runs, 1,184 RBIs,  992 runs, a .507 slugging percentage, and a .338 on-base percentage. However, his 2025 stats showcased a massive decline. Arenado hit .237 with 12 home runs, 52 RBIs, 42 runs, a .377 slugging percentage, and a .289 on-base percentage.</p><p>The Cardinals will likely need to field a good part of the contract. Additionally, they will need to find a trade partner who needs an MLB-ready third baseman. While he is not the player he once was, Arenado can still contribute heavily to a playoff-ready team. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-2-trades-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-deal">Cardinals are attempting to wheel and deal</a> some players this offseason. Ultimately, the goal is to maximize the value of some of the veterans they have while executing a soft rebuild.</p><p>Some believe the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-insider-suggests-st-louis-could-release-nolan-arenado-if-trade-fails-to-happen">Cardinals could release Arenado</a> if they don’t get the trade partner or the deal they want. But that could also allow a team to swoop in and get their longtime third baseman for nothing. If the Cardinals want to maximize Arenado’s value, they might need to shell out some cash. In the short term, it would be painful. But the long-term return a talented prospect could bring might see them vault back into contention sooner rather than later.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals rumors: What St. Louis must do to get respectable trade return for Nolan Arenado

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-2-trades-nolan-arenado-sonny-gray-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cardinals rumors: St. Louis eyeing 2 other key trades besides Nolan Arenado after Sonny Gray deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Cardinals-1B-Alec-Burleson-and-2B-Brendan-Donovan-celebrates-vs-Giants.jpg"><figcaption>Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cardinals rumors: St. Louis eyeing 2 other key trades besides Nolan Arenado after Sonny Gray deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-11-26T09:06:40-08:00">November 26th, 9:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-11-26T09:50:37-08:00">November 26th, 9:50am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-cardinals-trade-grades-sonny-gray-deal">St. Louis Cardinals made one thing clear with the Sonny Gray trade</a>: the rebuild is no longer theoretical. It’s here, it’s sweeping, and it now stretches from Nolan Arenado <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-all-star-drawing-dodgers-mets-trade-interest-not-nolan-arenado">to Brendan Donovan as MLB Free Agency heats up around them</a>. St. Louis didn’t simply move an ace-level arm. They <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6838627/2025/11/26/mlb-offseason-notes-mets-brewers-reds-cardinals/" rel="noopener">opened the door</a> to more changes, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-st-louis-allows-3-pitchers-hit-free-agency">signaling a winter built on bold decisions and long-view planning</a> under Chaim Bloom.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-rumors-pirates-named-intriguing-fit-cardinals-all-star-trade">Brendan Donovan is the most intriguing piece on the board</a>. He’s an All-Star entering his age-29 season with two years of club control, and teams across the league see peak value. The Cardinals see it too. That’s why they’ll only trade him if an offer overwhelms them. His versatility, contact skills, and on-field intelligence make him both a cornerstone and a trade chip, the exact type of player a rebuild forces a team to choose on. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-news-alec-burleson-gets-real-first-walk-off-hr">Alec Burleson, fresh off a breakout year and a Utility Silver Slugger</a>, fits the club’s timeline but also draws interest. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman offer upside at a lower cost, making them targets for teams seeking left-handed help.</p><h2><b>Cardinals face Arenado’s market question</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/cardinals-rumors-insider-suggests-st-louis-could-release-nolan-arenado-if-trade-fails-to-happen">Nolan Arenado remains the most complicated name in the room</a>. He expanded the list of teams he would approve, but the market around him has stalled. He’s entering his age-35 season. His bat has slipped. And the third-base market is clogged with Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suarez, and Munetaka Murakami waiting to land deals. Only after those signings will Arenado’s true path emerge, and St. Louis knows it.</p><p>Still, the Cardinals expect to execute at least two more notable trades before the winter settles. A left-handed bat could go. Arenado could go. And each move will shape the depth and direction of a rebuild that is now fully underway.</p><p>The offseason lights burn hotter with the Sonny Gray deal and MLB Free Agency momentum — so which Cardinals domino will fall next?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Zak
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