Latest Report on Cardinals All-Star Bodes Well for Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have had a relatively quiet offseason thus far. Their only major move was re-signing Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5 million contract.

Throughout the offseason, Seattle has been linked to St. Louis Cardinals' second baseman Brendan Donovan. He is the Cardinals' top trade chip after they sent out Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras.

The Mariners need another bat after they lost Jorge Polanco in free agency to the New York Mets, and Donovan could fill that need. On the "Refuse to Lose" podcast with Brady Farkas, ESPN's Buster Olney predicted that Donovan would be the next domino to fall in the trade market, which could bode well for the Mariners.

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Do Mariners Finally Have a Chance to Land Donovan?

Sep 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) throws out Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (3) (not pictured) at first base in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

The Mariners have been one of the top suitors for Donovan all offseason long, as was previously reported by The Athletic's Katie Woo, and the Cardinals had their eye on switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje.

The Mariners certainly have the prospects to pull off a deal. But if Olney is getting the sense that Donovan will be the next to move, this bodes well for Seattle.

The price for Donovan is high, and so, Seattle is going to have to include some of its best prospects in order to get a deal done with St. Louis. The 28-year-old also fits quite well with Seattle.

He was the lone Cardinals All-Star in 2025, hitting .287 with 10 home runs and a .775 OPS during the regular season. But the Mariners have holes at second base and third base. Donovan can play both positions, as well as some outfield.

The Mariners do have some internal options they can use, but Donovan is more of a sure thing, and it would make much more sense to target him instead. He may not have the power that Polanco and Eugenio Suarez do, but he is a solid contact hitter that gets on base and also plays very solid defense, so the Mariners would be getting a very valuable player if they do trade for him.

It will be interesting to see if Seattle offers Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals a package that they can't refuse or if they'll have to turn their attention somewhere else.

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