The Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, the teams announced, landing the versatile left-handed hitter in a three-team trade that also included the Tampa Bay Rays.
The deal — which, sources said, was one of multiple three-team trade proposals the Cardinals were considering for Donovan — sent Seattle right-handed starter Jurrangelo Cijntje (No. 95 on ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel’s top 100 prospect list) to St. Louis. The Mariners also traded third baseman Ben Williamson to the Rays.
The Cardinals also received a pair of prospects, center fielder Tai Peete (from Seattle) and outfielder Colton Ledbetter (from Tampa Bay), and two competitive-balance Round B picks.
Donovan, 29, drew a lot of trade interest across baseball as the Cardinals spent the winter disassembling their roster as part of a rebuild. New president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom had already traded stalwarts Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to Boston, and Nolan Arenado to Arizona. However, Donovan was widely regarded as the Cardinals player drawing the most interest.
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“We are pleased that, because of this deal, we will add five more promising young players to the talent pipeline that has always fueled this organization’s sustained success,” Bloom said in a news release. “We believe we’ve added exciting athleticism and upside on both sides of the ball, with more to come in this summer’s draft.
“All of us here are so grateful for Brendan’s contributions to the Cardinals and to our community, which will last well beyond his time here. He is first class as both a player and a person, and that combination is rare. We wish him and his wonderful family well.”
Seattle, which fell just short of its first World Series appearance last year, had hoped to address questions at second and third base this winter. By getting Donovan, who has regularly played second and third in addition to left and right field, shortstop and first base, the Mariners have a variety of options entering this season.
“It’s tough to imagine a better fit for our current team than Brendan,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a news release. “His combination of offensive skill, defensive versatility, consistency in performance, baseball instincts, and quality of character line up with what we value most.”
Donovan likely will bat toward the top of the Mariners’ lineup, which is one of the deepest in baseball. With excellent bat-to-ball skills — Donovan struck out in just 13% of his plate appearances last year, 14th among the 145 hitters qualified for the batting title — and strong on-base abilities, his left-handed swing fits perfectly in a batting order that includes American League MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, center fielder Julio Rodríguez, first baseman Josh Naylor, left fielder Randy Arozarena and shortstop J.P. Crawford.
Seattle could promote infielder Colt Emerson, who is one of the best hitting prospects in baseball, to fill the other open infield spot or opt for Cole Young or Leo Rivas at second base and use Donovan full time at third.
“Brendan brings a unique blend of elite top-of-the-lineup traits and versatility that makes him a perfect fit for our roster,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. “We are excited to welcome him to Seattle.”
St. Louis had considered signing Donovan, who is eligible to reach free agency after the 2027 season, to a long-term contract instead of trading him, but the sides never came close to an agreement, sources said. The trade takes the Cardinals’ projected Opening Day payroll under $100 million, a figure they’ve exceeded every year since 2010. They could spend nearly as much money this year on paying traded players’ contracts as they do on their major league roster.
With spring training report dates fast approaching, the Cardinals entered the week seeking resolution on a potential deal for Donovan. Though other concepts were floated, none appealed as much to the Cardinals as the trade that landed them Cijntje, the 15th pick in the 2024 draft who, until recently, pitched right-handed and left-handed.
Cijntje, 22, had significantly better stuff throwing right-handed, and over the winter, he scrapped switch-pitching and threw exclusively right-handed. With a fastball that is consistently in the mid-90s and tops out at 99, a slider with swing-and-miss properties and a developing changeup that could become his best secondary pitch, Cijntje will start the season in the high minor leagues and could be in St. Louis before the end of the year.
The Cardinals are bracing for a transition season after their second sub-.500 campaign in three years, the first time they’ve scuffled in such fashion since 1997 to 1999. Monday’s deal is their largest trade return this winter and paves the way for JJ Wetherholt, one of the best prospects in baseball, to eventually take over at second base and join Masyn Winn in one of the game’s best young infield combinations.
Williamson, 25, debuted last season, two years after the Mariners drafted him in the second round out of William and Mary. Though his defense at third base is considered above average, he hit .253/.294/.310 in 295 plate appearances. After the trade deadline acquisition of Eugenio Suárez, Williamson was sent to Triple-A, where he hit .314/.392/.462 in 240 plate appearances.
