Astros pursuit of Brendan Donovan overlooks a smarter Cardinals' target

The Houston Astros could still use a left-handed bat, and rumors have simmered since early on this offseason that they could target St. Louis Cardinals super utility man Brendan Donovan in a trade.

The interest in Donovan isn't new; the Astros eyed the 29-year-old at last year's trade deadline as well. The former Gold Glover has a lot of traits that would improve weaknesses for Houston. For example, he's a high-contact bat, hitting .287 last season and .282 for his career. His 13.5% career strikeout rate would also look nice in a lineup full of free swingers.

Add in the fact that the rival Seattle Mariners have been lurking, and swinging a trade for Donovan would seemingly kill two birds with one stone by keeping him away from a top competitor while strengthening the Astros at the same time.

There's a hitch, however. Donovan's best position is second base, though he can also play some left field, making the fit with Jose Altuve, who has had his own, less successful, dalliances in left field, a bit complicated.

To that end, maybe the Astros would be better off targeting an actual outfielder, and that could come in the form of Donovan's teammate, the lefty-swinging Lars Nootbaar.

The Astros would be wise to target Lars Nootbaar over Brendan Donovan in a trade with the Cardinals

Houston's infield is incredibly crowded, with Altuve, Carlos Correa, Christian Walker, Jeremy Peña, and, if he's not traded, Isaac Paredes all vying for playing time. Paredes' versatility would allow him to play his natural third base, as well as first and second, further lessening the need for a second baseman.

However, the Astros' outfield is full of options but short on certainty. There's Jake Meyers, who, like Paredes, is a prime trade candidate, and also faces the prospect of some serious regression in 2026. Thn there's Jesus Sanchez, who was a massive trade deadline disappointment and could also be shipped out before the winter is over. Youngsters Cam Smith and Zach Cole also figure to factor into the equation. While Yordan Alvarez could get some run in left field, after last season's injury-plagued nightmare, it's best to keep him planted at DH.

Nootbaar isn't a star, but he is a left-handed hitter, something that is a great need, and could provide stability in the sea of outfield question marks. He also comes with two years of team control like Donovan, makes an affordable $5.35 million like Donovan, but would also be cheaper to acquire.

Nootbaar has battled injuries in the past, and he's coming off a down year. He slashed just .234/.325/.361 with 13 homers in 135 games in 2025. With that said, there's a good deal of potential for more.

The 28-year-old outfielder owns a career 110 wRC+, making him generally an above-average hitter. A lot of that value is tied to his excellent plate discipline. Even in a down-year, Nootbaar walked 11% of the time last season, and has a 12.8% walk rate for his career, which is a good deal better than Donovan.

He also hits the ball hard. His 50% hard hit rate ranked in the 87th percentile, while his 91.3 miles per hour average exit velocity was a 79th percentile performance. Nootbaar often hits the ball square, but his angles need work, posting a 29th percentile launch angle sweet spot percentage last year. Getting a few more of those hard-hit balls in the air could pay huge dividends.

Even if that doesn't happen, Nootbaar fits both a lineup need for the Astros and a positional need for the club, and to that second point, he does it better than Donovan would.