The MLB offseason still has some bite left. After Luis Arraez signed with the Giants, many assumed that the Brendan Donovan trade market was dead. Reports flew around that the St. Louis Cardinals had discussed sending their All-Star utility man to San Francisco, but they moved on to other options, indicating to many that he was staying under the Arch. However, the Mariners swept in and got a deal done on Monday, meaning Donovan will be heading to Seattle.
Let’s get into the trade details and grade this three-teamer.
Brendan Donovan trade details
The headliner here is Donovan going to Seattle. After making a deep playoff push last season, the Mariners are not sitting on their hands. GM Jerry Dipoto continues to be aggressive in pursuing upgrades for his lineup; over the past two seasons, they’ve added Randy Arozarena, Eugenio Suarez, Jorge Polanco, Josh Naylor, and now Donovan. With Suarez and Polanco walking this offseason, Seattle needed to find some replacements.
Donovan fits the ethos of this Mariners team. He’s a line-drive batter who doesn’t strike out often and puts balls in the gaps. He’s not a stellar athlete relative to other infielders, but his glove plays at second base, third base, and in the outfield. Without Polanco and Suarez, they had gaps to fill in the infield. Now, they get a good glove who can set the table for a lineup that looks stacked on paper.
Pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje is the top name going back to St. Louis. His name has often exceeded his prospect capital because, up until now, Cijntje is the first player in pro ball since Pat Venditte to throw with both his right and left arms. He was a first-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Mississippi State and moved up to AA in his first year with Seattle’s organization. He’s got some electric stuff and should grade out as one of St. Louis’ best pitching prospects after coming in as a top-10 prospect for a solid Mariners farm system.
The question is whether or not Cijntje sticks with his switch-pitching. His fastball sits in the mid to high 90s from the right side, but loses considerable velocity from the left. The strike rate on the fastball also drops over 10 percentage points when Cijntje acts as a southpaw. It’s a neat trick, but there were already rumblings that he would go forward as an exclusive right-handed tosser. We’ll see if St. Louis sticks to that assessment.
Outfielder Tai Peete is also going to the Cardinals from the Mariners. The 20-year-old flashed his athleticism last season in A-ball, stealing 45 bags while playing decent center field. He’s a raw hitter with a lot of untapped power, but has struggled for consistency so far. Peete’s inconsistencies at the plate and his unclear defensive position knocked him out of Seattle’s top-10 prospects despite his immense physical tools.
The Tampa Bay Rays also got in on this trade. They’ll be acquiring Ben Williamson, a former 2023 second-round pick who broke into the majors last year for Seattle. Williamson is a glove-first third base prospect and a great athlete, but the hitting toolbox leaves some questions. A .604 OPS was weighed down by a lack of power (.057 ISO) and on-base skills (5.1% walk rate). Tampa Bay will be betting on Williamson finding enough with the bat to justify his glove and base-running skills in the lineup.
For their troubles, Tampa Bay is sending 24-year-old outfielder Colton Ledbetter to St. Louis. Another 2023 second-round pick, Ledbetter has disappointed so far, failing to rise above AA ball. If the glove comes along, Ledbetter is a good contact hitter with a ton of speed and makes an interesting lottery ticket for the Redbirds. Tampa will also be sending two Comp B draft picks to the Cardinals as part of the deal.
Okay, that was a lot of names and information to unpack. Let’s get into the grades here.
Brendan Donovan trade grade
Seattle Mariners Grade: B+
I’m always for contenders with good farm systems dipping into their prospect pool to upgrade. Seattle had too many question marks on the infield to go into a contending season without making another move. Cijntje and Peete are both great prospects, but not the bedrock of this farm system; if a big-name player comes on the market, it has the high-end prospects to go hunting again. Two years of cheap control for a player worth two or three wins is a great get for Seattle. The only holdup for me here is trading Williamson, who plays a position of need for the team and could have been useful in a backup infielder role.
St. Louis Cardinals Grade: A
This trade is the final admission of the offseason that things are not going well for the Cardinals. After a disappointing 2025 season, they’ve shipped out Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, and now Donovan. Once you get past the hurt of acknowledging that the rebuild is on, it’s a great deal for them.
The return directly from the Mariners is solid. Cijntje has good stuff and solid command, projecting as a mid-rotation arm with some top-of-the-rotation upside. What they do with his left-handed throwing is anyone’s guess, but the clay is there; now it’s up to them to mold it. Peete is a good tool bet as well, albeit with more volatile outcomes, but he instantly becomes one of their top outfield prospects.
Extra pieces coming from Tampa Bay puts this into A territory for me. Ledbetter profiles more as a defensive replacement and pinch runner in the long term, but again, they don’t have many outfield prospects to speak of. Getting an extra couple of draft picks to boot gives St. Louis four total prospects from the deal, with two of them flirting with top-10 territory.
Parting with Donovan hurts. But if you’re going to hit the reset button, it’s best to get good value for him.
Tampa Bay Rays Grade: C+
I get why the Rays did this. After dealing away Curtis Mead at the last deadline to get Adrian Houser, they were in need of a good utility man. Williamson profiles as such with his glove and speed. But I don’t think the opportunity cost was worth it.
Ledbetter was blocked after Tampa Bay made its acquisitions this offseason. Yet he still had control and the kind of athletic profile they value. Plus, the draft pick are valuable assets, slotting in after the second round. The Rays have a good drafting history and have a good chance at getting someone better than Williamson at that slot. Perhaps they find a way to make it work value-wise, but on paper, it seems like an overpay for a utility man with limited hitting talent.
