As the Cardinals navigate the early stages of a rebuild under new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan stands as perhaps the most appealing trade commodity on the St. Louis roster. The Mariners spent much of last offseason trying to pry Donovan loose from the Cardinals (under then-president of baseball ops John Mozeliak), and they’ve once again approached the Cards to express interest in coming together on a trade involving Donovan, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times.
Donovan, 29 in January, turned in a sharp .287/.353/.422 batting line in 2025 — about 19% better than league-average performance, by measure of wRC+. He popped 10 homers in 515 plate appearances, piled up 32 doubles, walked at an 8.2% clip and struck out in only 13% of his plate appearances. It’s the fourth straight year of comparable hit-over-power and OBP-fueled offense for Donovan, who’s a lifetime .282/.361/.411 hitter in the majors. He’s walked at a 9.1% clip and fanned in just 13.5% of his 2006 MLB plate appearances dating back to 2022.
On top of Donovan’s generally strong output and impeccable bat-to-ball skills, he’s a gifted defender who can handle just about any position on the diamond. He’s played primarily second base and left field but has some decent experience at shortstop (106 innings), third base (270 innings), first base (151 innings) and in right field (205 innings).
For the Mariners, Donovan is an ideal fit. He can handle second base, third base or an outfield corner — all currently unsettled in Seattle at the moment. Prospects Cole Young and Colt Emerson are highly touted young players who could step up and solidify second base and/or third base, but Young struggled in his first 77 MLB games last year and Emerson is a 20-year-old who’s played all of six games at the Triple-A level thus far. Victor Robles is penciled into right field alongside Randy Arozarena and Julio Rodriguez, but Robles and Dominic Canzone could fill more part-time roles if Donovan is brought in and gets occasional work on the outfield grass.
Donovan also embodies the type of high-contact bat the Mariners have hoped to add in recent offseasons. The M’s had the second-highest strikeout rate of any MLB team in both 2023 and 2024. They dropped to seventh last year. Over the past five seasons, only the Angels (24.9%) have a higher team strikeout rate than the Mariners (24.7%). A full season of Josh Naylor helps to combat that, but 500-plus plate appearances from Donovan would give them a pair of premium contact bats at or near the top of the lineup.
Of course, Donovan’s versatility, production and affordability make him an ideal fit for the majority of contending teams seeking to upgrade their lineup this offseason. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $5.4MM salary for Donovan next year. He’ll be owed a raise on that heading into 2027 — his final season of club control (barring an extension between now and then). Any team acquiring Donovan would do so knowing that they can have him for something in the rough vicinity of $15MM total through 2027. It’s an unmitigated bargain, but that also means he’ll come with a lofty asking price. The Mariners, with one of MLB’s top farm systems, are well-equipped to make a compelling offer.
Katie Woo of The Athletic wrote this week that the Cardinals are only inclined to trade Donovan if they’re blown away by an offer they don’t think they can refuse. Interest in Donovan is so high, however, that Woo suggests such an offer is likely to materialize. Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN offered similar sentiments yesterday, writing that while the Cards “are not eager” to make the move, Donovan’s market is “percolating” and an eventual trade seems likelier than not.
In addition to the Mariners, Donovan is known to have drawn interest from the Pirates, Astros, Guardians and Royals. That’s surely just a fraction of the clubs to have reached out to the Cardinals regarding Donovan. The Dodgers, Yankees and Blue Jays were all tied to Donovan last offseason and/or at this past summer’s trade deadline.
Huge pickup for whoever gets him.
At 210 lbs. he’s a big bench press for sure!
He’s the ideal M’s target. He slots in at 3B as the strong side platoon for Ben Williamson, but also provides cover at 2B and RF. He also provides a potential Arozarena replacement for 2027.
I could see a deal coming together around Cijinte (#90 prospect) who is expendable with Anderson and Sloan in the system. A hypothetical offer could be Cijinte + Peete + Comp Round B pick for Donovan which would be a slight premium to what was sent to the Rays for 2.5 years of Arozarena.
I would love to see a Donovan for Cjintje trade
I agree it would probably have to be Cintje plus a prospect to the cardinals. Peete is very exciting but whenever I see his name I’m like damn, Kevin McGonigle was taken 4/5 picks after him!
Sloan or Anderson are who your parting with if this is happening most likely
It will take a young MLB ready starter, or young RH hitting outfielder to start trade talks.
I feel like M’s would have to include Kade, Sloan, or Cintje. I honestly don’t see them doing that, so it would have to be Evans plus a really good prospect. Maybe Ford if they need a catcher (or 3b? Maybe he could switch). I could see Sloan if the cardinals include JoJo, but that still wouldn’t be enough to move Sloan. Sloan and Kade seem near untouchable unless we’re getting a legit superstar.
I don’t think the cardinals would want Cole Young, so this trade seems tricky for the M’s. Who would the cardinals consider in the M’s farm? Feel like the Royals could offer the best package of pitchers
Sounds like the only package they’d accept would be an overpay for his services (not to say he’s not a gifted player but since they’re not looking to trade him, whoever gets him will need to give up more than he’s worth). This is not the Pirates MO so while I’d love to have him, his chances of going there are next to zero.
There’s a seafood restaurant in Anacortes Washington. About 2 hours from Seattle. I’m not a huge fan of seafood but they had some of the best halibut I ever had. Unfortunately I don’t recall the name of it. My point is,
Mariners trade a single serving of halibut fish (grilled, fried or baked) (no side dishes) and a $10 gift card to be exclusively used at the first Stahbucks.
Cardinals trade Brandon Donovan and a single rib purchased by Cheapsake Pete for $5 to Seattle.
The loss of Suarez and the addition of Donovan will bolster the lineup and help their high k rate.Wouldnt mund Donovan on my White Sox
If the return is astronomical for a 29yo above average multi purpose player with two years left and a pending lock out I would pass if I’m Yankees and just try to sign Okamoto.
No Brainer as a LH batter walks as much as he Ks over his career be a great addition to the team that struggled a lot in that category! Would be a cheaper option than Polonco at this point and we could use that money for one more solid piece! It is time to take a few prospects from our system and Go for It!!!!