Cardinals, Mariners Trade Idea Sends Fan Favorite All-Star To Seattle

The Mariners could be the perfect landing spot for Cardinals star Brendan Donovan this winter.

Sep 6, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) safely steals second base ahead of the tag from St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly finally accepting their fate in the National League. The Cardinals have struggled to stay afloat for a few years, but they're finally opting to rebuild rather than buy and attempt to compete.

As a result, they're likely going to trade a few key pieces. Sonny Gray has already been traded to the Boston Red Sox, but there are more options on the table for St. Louis. Nolan Arenado is the most likely player to be thrown on the trade block, but it could be hard to find a suitor for the veteran. Fan favorite All-Star Brendan Donovan is likely the team's most valuable trade candidate this winter, too.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

FanSided's Christopher Kline recently suggested the Seattle Mariners would swing a blockbuster trade for Donovan in the coming months and the fit makes a lot of sense.

Brendan Donovan would fit perfectly with the Mariners

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) collects a ball hit by the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"The St. Louis Cardinals are undergoing a comprehensive rebuild. Their best asset is Brendan Donovan, a supercharged utility player who finished last season with a .775 OPS and 119 OPS+. He can spend time at second base or in the outfield and he's under club control through 2027," Kline wrote. "New Cardinals GM Chaim Bloom needs to dial up the Mariners, who boast the deepest reservoir of high-level pitching prospects in MLB.

"The M's need a potential Jorge Polanco replacement and would benefit from Donovan's ability to flex to the outfield. St. Louis needs a major influx of rotation-level talent. It's a match made in heaven."

The Mariners are bound to be one of the more aggressive teams this offseason, but it's unclear how much money they have to spend. They've already given out a lot of money to sign Josh Naylor, but they lost out on Jorge Polanco.

With Polanco leaving town, a trade for Donovan would make perfect sense. Donovan would be a slight upgrade over Polanco for the Mariners. It would cost a decent haul of prospects, but the Mariners have a loaded farm system, so this wouldn't crush them.

The Cardinals could target some of the Mariners' top pitching prospects in the return.

More MLB: Red Sox Involved In Ongoing Trade Sweepstakes For Cardinals Star