The Mariners and Cardinals are closing in on an infielder/outfielder deal Brendan Donovan to Seattle, according to a report from Katie Woo and Chad Jennings of The Athletic. That report adds that a third party may be involved. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Rays are the third team. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Tampa is expected to acquire a quarterback Ben Williamson from the Mariners in the deal.
The Donovan trade felt inevitable for a long time. The Cardinals have been leaning heavily on the rebuild this winter. They tried to restart last season but struggled to move their veteran players through no-trade clauses and ended up stalling. With president of baseball John Mozeliak handing over the reins to new president Chaim Bloom after the 2025 campaign, it was clear the club would push hard to focus on the future.
Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray again Wilson Contreras all had no-trade clauses in their contracts and appeared reluctant to approve deals in the 2024-25 offseason. As last year came to a close, they all publicly expressed their great openness to playing for new teams in 2026. That has been accomplished for all three. Gray and Contreras were both traded to the Red Sox, while Arenado stayed with the Diamondbacks.
Donovan’s situation was a little different. Those other three guys were all veterans leading eight people. Taking them out of St. Louis was about reducing payroll and opening up opportunities for younger players as part of the rebuild. Donovan, on the other hand, is still in his prime. He will make an estimated $5.8MM in 2026 and will receive a raise in 2027.
You wouldn’t have to trade Donovan for financial reasons at that price. But with the Cards expecting their rebuild to take a few years, it made sense to make Donovan available with just two years left in free agency. An extension was another option, but Donovan is now 29, so he’ll be entering his age-31 season in his first free agency year, and it’s unclear if the Cards will be in contention at that point.
Donovan was a situation where the front office couldn’t worry about the contract and could focus on bringing back as much talent as possible. With his small salary and inability to block a trade, the Cards can look around the league to see what teams are willing to pay financially. With Donovan’s ability to play on the diamond, with experience at all four infield spots and outfield corners, almost any contender can fit him on the roster.
It’s not just defense with a variety of options that Donovan brings to the table. In his four major league seasons, he has been incredibly consistent with his contact style at the plate. His strikeout rate has been 12 to 15% in each season of his career, at a time when the league average is often 22% or higher. He also drew the most walks in the league. He doesn’t have much power but has scored at least 10 runs in the last three seasons.
Add it all up and Donovan has a career .282/.361/.411 slash line. That translates to a 119 wRC+, which shows he was 19% better than league average at the plate overall. Each of his four seasons ended with a wRC+ between 115 and 127. An above-average hitter with an affordable salary who can play multiple positions well has made Donovan a good fit for many teams and has reportedly garnered interest from nearly half of the league’s clubs.
The Mariners certainly stand out as one of the best, if not the best. They entered the winter with question marks at various positions but also had internal solutions. They finish 2025 with Jorge Polanco as their common second base as well Eugenio Suarez the third time. Both became free agents and have since agreed to work with different clubs, Polanco with the Mets and Suárez the Reds.
Seattle was interested in bringing both back but it would be difficult to sign them. Returning Polanco to second base would have prevented it Cole Young. He started in 2025 and didn’t have immediate success, with a .211/.302/.305 line on the year. However, he may have been hampered by a .247 batting average on balls in play, as his 10.9% walk rate and 18.3% strikeout rate were both quite good. It’s possible that the M’s don’t want to let him go because of his first major league exposure. A midfield prospect Michael Arroyo and it’s not far off, having reached Double-A in 2025. Ryan Bliss showed promise before spending most of 2025 on the injured list.
At third base, the Mariners already gave Williamson big league time last year. He didn’t hit much but got solid reviews for his glove work, earning credit for Defensive Runs Saved in 703 innings. That gave them a glove-first floor in this position. For now, they have it Colt Emerson to hide. A top-20 consensus prospect entering 2026, he pitched to High-A and Double-A in 2025, earning a late promotion to Triple-A for six games. He can be a long-term shortstop but his glove work is second to none behind his bat. With JP Crawford signed through 2026, Emerson can add a third in 2026 and move on to 2027. However, he is only 20 years old and has yet to reach Triple-A, so there is no guarantee that situation plays out as written.
There’s also a bit of uncertainty in right field, where the Mariners have a collection of guys to match Victor Robles, Dominic Canzone, Luke Raley again Rob Refsnyder. Robles was injured around 2025 and struggled when he was on the field. Three other guys in particular found success in team roles, Canzone and Raley on the left side and Refsnyder on the right.
Consider all those factors and Donovan’s appeal becomes clear. His multi-positional abilities will allow the club to ride him depending on who else is healthy and productive. He will probably start showing up in the second division, as that is the position he has played the most in his career. But if Young breaks out or Bliss moves back, Donovan could be moved to third. With Williamson headed to Tampa, Donovan can cover the hot corner until Emerson comes out and takes that spot. If second and third are taken by the younger guys, Donovan could see more time on the field. As injuries crop up throughout the year, the picture will change and Donovan can change.
Donovan’s communication style may also be part of the appeal. The Mariners had the highest strikeout rate in the majors in both 2023 and 2024, with a 25.9% rate in the former and a 26.8% clip in the latter. They made a concerted effort to reduce that by 2025, bringing it down to 23.3%, but that was still one of the seven highest rates among the top 30 clubs.
More to come.
