The Cardinals should give Brendan Donovan an extension instead of arbitration
Taking him to arbitration is like driving in the wrong direction.
Brendan Donovan isn’t the player you go to a hearing with; he’s the player you wrap up long-term and keep from other teams.
The Gold Glove utility weapon and the St. Louis Cardinals couldn’t agree before the deadline sprung up on their extension talks, forcing an awkward arbitration hearing that will decide Donovan's 2025 salary. Coming off a season where he played 153 games at four different positions and produced a 3.2 WAR via Fangraphs for a bargain price, locking up a guy who does so much for a rebuilding team would have been wise.
It’s even more disheartening to hear that the two sides couldn’t agree on a long-term deal. Donovan and his agent couldn’t have blasted into the room with too high of demands, and he represents the sort of low-key signing that should have been done by now. They paid him $757,000 last year to produce a WAR equal to a $24 million player, yet they couldn’t agree. This stinks of a team failure more than player greed.
Donovan sprayed 34 doubles and smacked 14 home runs among 163 hits while walking 47 times and keeping his strikeouts down. It’s not exactly untradeable stats, but it’s not someone you toy with. Lock him up. Oli Marmol’s livelihood will depend on scrappy, all-wheel-drive players like Donovan. In an injury-riddled 2023 season, he produced a WAR that was too close to Nolan Arenado’s 2024 total. One of those guys should only cost you $5 million or less.
Flip it to the other perspective. Do you think Donovan waltzed into John Mozeliak’s office with a pizza that wasn’t from California Pizza Kitchen and demanded the world in a new contract after only three seasons under his belt? No way. He could have made a healthy case for a yearly wage in 2025 of $3 million or better without making a fuss.
Think about it. In three seasons, Donovan has produced a 7.4 WAR. He’s averaged 119 wRC+ (100 is the league average) in his short MLB tenure and could pump up the production even more in 2025 and beyond.
Add it all up and it tells you don’t mess around with this guy. He’s not like Tyler O’Neill and Lars Nootbarr (who also couldn’t agree on the deadline), players who dream about playing 153 games. He’s not isolated to one or two positions like Alec Burleson. Donovan offers you luxury on the infield or outfield, and he carries the arm to fulfill the tasks. There’s no worry with him on the field.
The alarming concern of a 2023 season with less than 100 games was wiped out by the robust playing time last year. Once again, Donovan is the player you hire and extend instead of thinking about disconnecting from or taking to court. What a giant waste of time.
Instead of pouring all of their brain assets into trading Arenado, think about a guy who you want around for the next 4-5 years. You don’t need to give him a long contract. A 3-4 year deal should suffice and satisfy both parties. If it was a fault of Donovan asking for too much, that’s for him to sharpen up. If it’s on the Cardinals, fix that crap.
He’s under team control until 2028, but there’s enough evidence to buy out those remaining years rather than do a year at a time. I’ll be so glad when another mind is running this baseball operation.
Unleash the Chaim!