The Seattle Mariners have reportedly acquired infielder Brendan Donovan in a three team deal involving the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays.
The deal, which is pending the completion of a physical, will send Donovan to the M’s, with Ben Williamson set to head to Tampa Bay. St. Louis will then acquire switch pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje, OF Tai Peete, OF Colton Ledbetter, and a Comp Balance draft pick.
The move completes the ongoing teardown which the Cardinals front office has been busy orchestrating for most of the offseason. In addition to Donovan, the club has jettisoned off veterans Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras in recent weeks.
Each of those three players had no-move clauses built into their contracts, and came in at hefty price tags. By moving them off the books, St. Louis has freed up a ton of innings and at bats for their prospects as they look to start a new chapter under Chaim Bloom.
Donovan however was making a modest $5.8M, and still had arbitration seasons remaining on his deal, making him an attractive piece for a team that was looking for something more than just a rental player. The 29 year old has a career .282/.361/.411 slash line, with a 119 wRC+. That, plus his positional versatility, made him a sought after commodity this offseason, with multiple teams inquiring about his services.
With Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez both signing elsewhere this winter, Seattle had some holes in their infield they were looking to fill. Prospects Cole Young, Colt Emerson and Michael Arroyo could get some extended looks during spring training, but the Mariners wanted to ensure they had some MLB ready hitting to insert into their lineup to start off 2026.
Donovan’s ability to play multiple infield positions, as well as the outfield is ultimately what made Seattle’s front office comfortable moving one of their top prospects to acquire him. Cijntje, 23 in May, was Seattle’s the team’s 1st round pick in 2024, selecting him 15th overall.
Cijntje primarily throws with his right arm but can also throw left handed as well. Although he can hit the upper 90’s with his fastball throwing with either arm, his left handed pitches tend to register a few ticks slower than his right. Ranked as the number 7 prospect in the Mariners’ system, he posted a 3.99 ERA in 108 1/3 minor league innings last year.
St. Louis has made little effort to hide the fact that they’ve been looking to stockpile arms this offseason, as they’ve also added Richard Fitts, Brandon Clarke, Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, Blake Aita, and Jack Martinez in the previously mentioned trades.
The soon to be completed deal also means that teams like the Giants and Red Sox who remain on the hunt for infield help will need to pivot once again.
Photo: Johnmaxmena2. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.