Cardinals 28-Year-Old Star Heavily Linked To Mariners

If there was one team for St. Louis Cardinals fans to be keeping a close eye on right now -- outside of St. Louis -- it would be the Seattle Mariners.

Seattle is the reigning American League West champion and made it all the way to the American League Championship Series, but couldn't get past the Toronto Blue Jays to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

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The Mariners have already been aggressive this offseason by re-signing Josh Naylor, but they are clearly looking for more. St. Louis has a handful of high-end trade candidates and multiple have been linked to Seattle in some way. Brendan Donovan is the main one. The Athletic's Katie Woo reported that Seattle and the San Francisco Giants are the front-runners for Donovan. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times has reported that the Mariners have shown interest in JoJo Romero. Jon Morosi of MLB Network made the case for Nolan Arenado for the Mariners as well.

Cardinals fans should be watching Seattle

Sep 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (21) take his position against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

Clearly, there are a lot of possibilities. On Tuesday night, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal weighed in with the latest on Seattle and Donovan specifically. In the process, he noted that the other big-name infielder linked to the Mariners is Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"The Tampa Bay Rays’ Brandon Lowe and New York Mets’ Jeff McNeil are among the possible trade options at second (the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants are the front-runners for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan, according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo)...

"The Mariners, seeking to rebound from the loss of free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco to the New York Mets, remain in the mix for the Diamondbacks’ (Ketel Marte) as well as the Cardinals’ Donovan, according to people briefed on their pursuits," Rosenthal wrote. "Donovan’s defensive versatility makes him in some ways a better fit for Seattle. He mostly has played second and left field in the majors, but also has experience at every other position but catcher and center field. With a number of Mariners position prospects getting close to the majors, his ability to move to other spots would be especially valuable.

"Marte, 32, is more than three years older than Donovan. Yet, he is under contract for six seasons while Donovan is under club control for only two. He also is the more impactful hitter. His .887 OPS the past three seasons ranks ninth in the majors. The Mariners are not unfamiliar with Marte, though it has been nearly a decade since he played for them."

Seattle continues to be talked about for Donovan, but he isn't the only player from St. Louis linked to Seattle. If the Cardinals are going to start getting trades done and thawing off the market, the Mariners are the team to talk to.

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