Mariners acquire All-Star Brendan
Donovan from Cardinals in three-team trade with Rays
[February 03, 2026]
By ANDREW DESTIN
SEATTLE (AP) — 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.
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St. Louis Cardinals' Brendan Donovan against the San Francisco
Giants during the first inning of a baseball game, Sept. 23, 2025,
in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
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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