Likely Cardinals trade deadline sell-off sends John Mozeliak a clear message

Will the St. Louis Cardinals buy or sell at the trade deadline? Cards fans will be asking that question in the lead-up to a potential career-defining moment for president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, who has to be feeling the heat a bit himself thanks to what could be a second consecutive losing season in St. Louis, a feat few expected from these Cardinals, which were a playoff team just two years ago.

The Cardinals have big pieces they could trade away from younger talent, such as first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, who is in a contract year. Starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson are also rentals who could fetch a decent return if traded at the right time to desperate contenders. Starting pitching sells at every deadline -- the Cardinals know this better than most teams.

However, one player the Cardinals should avoid trading is Brendan Donovan, a super-utility man who can play multiple infield and outfield positions. Donovan is valuable, and technically under contract through the next three years, albeit arbitration eligible. Despite all of this, Donovan was listed by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, a former GM in his own right, as a player of interest the Cards could send away.

Cardinals, John Mozeliak cannot afford to trade Brendan Donovan

Don't get me wrong, Donovan could fetch a nice return and the Cards should listen on all players if they decide to sell. However, trading away Donovan would serve as a defeatist mindset for Mozeliak, a front office executive who can ill-afford to get cute right now.

Donovan is slashing .247/.322/.368 with a .690 OPS as of this writing, so essentially just a bit below league average. He can play better and should hold himself accountable to that standard. On Thursday in a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Donovan had a hit and the decisive home run, and realized he's starting to turn a corner.

“He tries to take the same at bat regardless of where he’s hitting because he knows his game and it’s just a gritty at bat and we saw that today,” Oli Marmol said of Donovan. “He knows when to pick his spots and he got one of them. There’s just a calmness to him. He’s been working hard to stay through the middle."

Donovan has a hit in every game he's played dating back to June 5. He has turned a corner, and trading him now to another contender would not be a wise decision. Donovan went 9-for-26 (.346) with three RBIs in the Cards seven-game homestand, which led to four wins.

Don't overthink this, St. Louis.