Former South Alabama standout Brendan Donovan said he had no hard feelings toward the St. Louis Cardinals as he prepares for his fourth Major League season with the team.

The Cardinals start their Grapefruit League schedule against the Miami Marlins at 12:10 p.m. CST Saturday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, as they work toward Opening Day for the 2025 season on March 27.

Why might Donovan harbor hard feelings?

Last week, Donovan lost an arbitration hearing to determine his salary for the season. Donovan was seeking $3.3 million for the 2025 campaign, but the arbitrator sided with St. Louis and its offer of $2.85 million.

“I think the first thing I should mention is I’m not a disgruntled employee by any means,” Donovan told KMOV-TV in St. Louis. “… None of this changes who I am, what I want to do, how I care about my teammates, how I prepare. None of that changes anything.”

Donovan played for $757,200 in 2024, when he appeared in 153 games and had a .278 batting average, .342 on-base average and .417 slugging percentage. He had 65 runs, 34 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 73 RBIs and five stolen bases.

Donovan has held a have-glove-will-travel role since reaching the big leagues in 2022. During the 2024 season, Donovan played in 105 games in left field, 53 at second base, nine at third base and one in right field. In his first two seasons, Donovan also played first base and shortstop.

Donovan was among the three finalists for the Gold Glove Award for a National League utility player for the 2024 season. The Gold Glove awards are presented annually in both the American and National leagues to the best fielder at each position. The utility Gold Glove was presented for the first time in 2022, and Donovan won the inaugural honor in the National League.

Donovan also finished third in the balloting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2022.

Ligament damage in his throwing arm cut short Donovan’s second season as he had surgery after playing in 95 games in 2023.

For 2025, Donovan is expected to hold a utility role again, with the majority of his playing time divided between left field and second base. Which position he plays the most likely will depend on if the Cardinals like their lineup better with second baseman Nolan Gorman or center fielder Michael Siani. With Siani in, Donovan would play second with Lars Nootbaar in left field. With Gorman in, Donovan would play left field with Nootbaar in center.

St. Louis posted an 83-79 record in 2024 – a 12-game improvement over the Cardinals’ 2023 showing, but also the second straight season out of the playoffs after going for four years in a row.

St. Louis heads into the 2025 season without seven-time All-Star Paul Goldschmidt and two of the five pitchers who worked 100 innings in 2024.

A prep star at Enterprise, Donovan had a .311 batting average, .437 on-base average and .477 slugging percentage while playing for South Alabama from 2016 through 2018. The Cardinals selected Donovan in the seventh round of the 2018 draft.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.