The Seattle Mariners are set to acquire All-Star versatile player Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade that also includes the Tampa Bay Rays, according to ESPN. As part of the deal, switch pitcher Giurangelo Cinche will return to the Cardinals from Seattle, while the Rays are expected to receive third baseman Ben Williamson from the Mariners. Additionally, the Cardinals will get 2023 first-round draft pick Ty Pete, outfielder Colton Ledbetter from Seattle, and compensatory draft picks from Tampa Bay. The teams involved have yet to officially confirm the trade.
Trade breakdown:
– Mariners get: Utility player Brendan Donovan
– Rays get: Third baseman Ben Williamson
– Cardinals get: Switch pitcher Giurangelo Cinche, outfielders Ty Pete and Colton Ledbetter, plus two compensatory draft picks
Donovan, who will turn 29 in 2026, earned his first All-Star selection last season. Primarily a second baseman, he also can play first base, third base, left field, and occasionally shortstop. At the plate, Donovan posted a 119 OPS+ last year, consistent with his career average of 117 over four MLB seasons. He showed promising performance in 2025 with a .373 weighted on-base average (wOBA) through May, yet a sprained joint capsule in his left toe, found in an MRI in June, affected his swing mechanics and overall productivity. The Mariners are hopeful he can regain and sustain that high level of play going forward. Donovan is under contract through the 2027 season.
He will be joining a Mariners lineup featuring stars like All-Star slugger Cal Lowry, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, and Randy Arozarena. Seattle captured the American League West title in 2025 with a 90-72 record, narrowly edging the Houston Astros by three games, but fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series.
From St. Louis’ perspective, trading Donovan caps an offseason dedicated to rebuilding under new baseball operations president Chaim Bloom. Earlier in the offseason, the Cardinals traded right-hander Sonny Gray and catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras to the Red Sox, and dealt veteran third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Diamondbacks. Each trade brought in young pitching prospects and significant cash considerations to improve the team’s roster. The Donovan trade further strengthens their farm system and opens the door for top prospect JJ Weatherholt, the Cardinals’ starting second baseman expected to hold that role in 2026.
Giurangelo Cinche, leading the returning players to St. Louis, was Seattle’s 2024 first-round pick. CBS Sports analyst RJ Anderson ranked him as the seventh-best prospect in the AL West, highlighting his deceptive right-handed fastball and swing-mistake breaking pitch that project him as a future rotation mainstay, although he will likely pitch solely right-handed.
Ty Pete, another player heading to the Cardinals, spent all of 2025 in High-A, posting a .217/.288/.404 slash line over 125 games. Ben Williamson, acquired by the Rays, made his MLB debut in 2025 and played 85 games for Seattle with a .253/.294/.310 batting line. Colton Ledbetter batted .265/.337/.378 in Double-A last season.
Fan Take: This multi-team trade shakes up key lineups and farm systems, signaling bold moves by the Mariners and Cardinals to balance present competitiveness with future potential. For fans, it promises exciting new dynamics on the field, showcasing the evolving strategies teams use to build winning rosters in today’s game.
