SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners acquired All-Star infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Seattle sent infielder Ben Williamson to the Rays, and a pair of minor league prospects to the rebuilding Cardinals: pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Tai Peete.
St. Louis also received a 2026 Competitive Balance Round B draft pick (68th overall) from the Mariners.
Tampa Bay shipped minor league outfielder Colton Ledbetter and a Competitive Balance Round B draft pick this year (72nd overall) to the Cardinals.
“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,” Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said in a statement. “We believe we’ve added exciting athleticism and upside on both sides of the ball, with more to come in this summer’s draft."
Donovan, 29, was a first-time All-Star last year, when he batted .287 with 10 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .775 OPS. Over a four-year major league career, he has hit .282 with 40 homers, 97 doubles and a .772 OPS. He also won a utility player Gold Glove as a rookie in 2022.
“It’s tough to imagine a better fit for our current team than Brendan,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “His combination of offensive skill, defensive versatility, consistency in performance, baseball instincts, and quality of character line up with what we value most.”
Donovan has a $5.8 million, one-year contract. He is eligible for arbitration again next winter and is on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2027 World Series.
He could slot into the middle of the Mariners' batting order in the way Jorge Polanco did last season. Polanco hit 26 homers, then became a free agent and signed a $40 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets.
Donovan has started 202 career games at second base, 139 in left field, 29 at third base and 23 in right field. He was primarily a second baseman for the Cardinals last year, starting 91 games there.
Considering the Mariners parted ways with Williamson and elected not to re-sign Eugenio Suárez, Donovan could make sense for Seattle at third base. Also in the fold is highly regarded shortstop prospect Colt Emerson, who played six games for Triple-A Tacoma last year.
Seattle last season came within one win of the franchise’s first World Series appearance.
To make room for Williamson on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay left-hander Ken Waldichuk was designated for assignment. Williamson hit .253 with one home run and 21 RBIs with above-average defense at third base as a rookie for Seattle last year.
Cijntje and Ledbetter were teammates at Mississippi State in 2023. At the Mariners’ fan fest Sunday at T-Mobile Park, Seattle said the ambidextrous Cijntje was going to focus solely on pitching right-handed going forward rather than with both arms. In a news release announcing the deal, St. Louis listed Cijntje as a right-handed pitcher.
The 22-year-old Cijntje was selected 15th overall by the Mariners in the 2024 amateur draft. He went 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA and 120 strikeouts over 108 1/3 innings last year in the minors.
Peete, 20, was drafted 30th overall by the Mariners in 2023. Across three seasons in Seattle's farm system, he batted .247 with 28 home runs, 154 RBIs, 76 stolen bases and a .724 OPS in 1,166 plate appearances.
Ledbetter, 24, was chosen by the Rays in the second round of the 2023 draft. He hit .269 with 25 home runs and 126 RBIs in 253 games across three minor league seasons with Tampa Bay.
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