The Seattle Mariners’ near offseason-long pursuit of Brendan Donovan has come to an end with the team acquiring the Cardinals infielder in a three-way trade that includes the Tampa Bay Rays.
Salk: By adding Donovan, M’s did ‘what contending teams do’
The Mariners officially announced the acquisition of Donovan on Monday night, with switch-pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Tai Peete going to the Cardinals as well as third baseman Ben Williamson to the Rays. Tampa Bay sends Double-A outfielder Colton Ledbetter to St. Louis, while the Mariners and Rays are each sending a Competitive Balance B draft pick to the Cardinals.
Brendan Donovan. Mariner.
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— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) February 3, 2026
The Mariners have been involved in talks with the Cardinals throughout the offseason but were unable to come to agreement on the return for Donovan, which necessitated the need for a third trade partner in the Rays.
Donovan, 28, comes to Seattle having hit .287/.353/.422 for a .775 OPS and 119 wRC+ last year, which was his first All-Star season. He has two years of club control remaining and has agreed to a $5.8 million contract for 2026, avoiding arbitration in early January.
Donovan fills a specific need for the Mariners, as president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander have been committed to giving their young, major league-ready players some runway, which presents a tricky balance for a team looking to take the next step forward after coming eight outs away from the World Series in 2025.
Related: In two ways, Mariners trying to strike balance with roster
The Mariners seemed, if not completely comfortable, at least willing to go with two younger players in the infield this year if need be after losing Jorge Polanco to the Mets and moving on from Eugenio Suarez, who signed with the Reds on Sunday. Monday’s move will ensure that does not happen, with the addition of Donovan giving the Mariners, for the time being, a player with a minimum of three years in the big leagues at every position but second base.
The move also could help with what the organization hopes happens soon. Donovan, who won the National League Gold Glove in 2022 as a utility player, has played every position but catcher and center field in the majors, which gives the M’s the versatility to bring up prized prospect Colt Emerson should he, in Dipoto’s words from Mariners FanFest this weekend, “blow the doors down” this spring or early in the season.
The Cardinals who were known to be asking for two of an organization’s top 10 prospects for Donovan early on this winter, and they had particular interest in outfielder Lazaro Montes plus pitching, come away with two first-rounders in Cijntje, who was selected with the 15th pick in the ’24 draft, and Peete, who went 30th in 2023.
The cost for Donovan was by no means cheap, but it is a cost the Mariners can afford with the farm system they have developed.
Cijntje, who the Mariners had planned to limit to throwing from the right side only in ’26, had seen his prospect status drop a bit in the last year, but perhaps had a chance to help the Mariners later in the season out of the bullpen if needed. The Mariners drafted him in the first round in 2024 out of Mississippi State.
Peete who along with Colt Emerson and Jonny Farmelo was one of the Mariners’ trio of first-round high school picks in ’23. Originally drafted as a shortstop, he transitioned to the outfield in ’24. Last season he finished the year at High-A Everett, where he hit .217/.288/.404/ for a .692 OPS with 19 home runs and 24 doubles in 125 games, and struck out 162 times.
As for Williamson, who was a second-round pick in 2023 out of William & Mary, the Mariners loved his defense but needed to see more development on the offensive side. He should get that opportunity in Tampa Bay.
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