St. Louis

Cardinals

It seems likely that with the Cardinals heading into a rebuild, that they’ll look to move the versatile 28-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract. Goold also notes that the Dodgers and Yankees had interest in dealing for him at the trade deadline in 2025 and could circle back again this offseason. It’s looking increasingly likely that Donovan could be donning a new uniform on Opening Day in 2026.

“We’ve definitely been listening on him,” Bloom said. “It’s not a surprise. I mean, he’s still one of the better pitchers in the league. We value him very highly. Just with where we are and thinking long term, we’ve talked to him, and I think we all feel like there might be something that makes sense, but we’ll continue to explore that.” Gray has a full no-trade clause, but he’s thought to be open to waiving it if the right destination comes about. One problem is that his three-year, $75 million contract was heavily backloaded, and he’s owed $35 million next season and perhaps a $5 million buyout of his 2027 option (it’s $30 million, and he can opt out of it if a team exercises it). The Cardinals will probably need to eat some of that in order to get a substantial return.

The move prevents Torres from becoming a minor league free agent and protects him from being gobbled up in next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 28-year-old has spent time at both the keystone and outfield in recent years. He batted 328/.441/.464 with nine homers and 26 steals in 104 games for Triple-A Memphis this past season.

Both elected free agency instead of accepting the outright assignments. Thompson missed all of last season recovering from a torn lat muscle. Veneziano made a pair of relief appearances for the Cardinals after being claimed off waivers from the Marlins in early August.

Nootbaar underwent surgery on both heels earlier this month to address bone enlargement near his Achilles tendons. Bloom added that the club will not rush his rehabilitation process but noted that if he does miss time at the outset of next season it would only be a brief absence. Fantasy managers should anticipate a clearer return timetable at the outset of spring training once he’s able to resume baseball activities.

A Rule 5 pick from the Cardinals organization, Thomas would typically be offered back to his old team after clearing waivers. However, Thomas had already cleared waivers once as a member of the Cardinals, meaning he can become a free agent, which is what he has chosen to do. Thomas, 27, gave up 12 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings for the Brewers in April before eventually undergoing elbow surgery in July. He’s expected to be sidelined into the middle of 2026.

Donovan, 28, dealt with a groin issue for much of the 2025 season, and the hope is that operation can help put those issues to rest. Assuming there’s no setbacks, he should be good to go for the start of the 2026 season.

Haglund’s deformities is a condition at the back of the heel that causes “bony enlargements. near where the Achilles attaches” No timetable has been provided, but there’s a good chance Nootbaar will be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

The procedure isn’t expected to impact Herrera’s regular off-season routine and he should be a full participant when pitchers and catchers report to spring camp in February. The 25-year-old slashed an impressive .284/.373/.464 with 19 homers, 66 RBI and eight stolen bases in his first full season as the Cardinals’ starting catcher in 2025.

Well, this would be fun. Heyman was first to report of the interview, but Ken Rosenthal and Sam Blum believe that Pujols is the Angels’ “leading choice” to take over. Pujols retired back in 2022 after a legendary career, and of course played for the Angels for a large portion of it; albeit not the most successful portion. The 45-year-old has no managerial experience at the highest level, but he’s going to manage the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and it appears this is something he’s very interested in. Fun.