The Case Against The Cardinals Trading 2025 All-Star To Mariners

The Cardinals should trade their lone 2025 All-Star, but the Mariners may not be the best landing spot.

May 20, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the Seattle Mariners armed forces day hat in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The 2025 season ended in disappointment for the St. Louis Cardinals, as they went 78-84 and missed the postseason for the third straight year. However, that allowed Chaim Bloom to jumpstart their rebuild in the offseason.

The Cardinals have already traded Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox. The next to go will likely be Brendan Donovan, their lone All-Star from 2025. 

He can bring back the best haul for St. Louis. Katie Woo reported earlier this month that the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants were the top suitors. However, the Mariners may be the team that the Cardinals should avoid trading with.

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Cardinals Should Avoid Mariners As Brendan Donovan Trade Partner

Sep 24, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson (41) and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) celebrate after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Mariners have the top prospects that the Cardinals would be seeking for Donovan, so they do line up pretty well as trade partners. However, there is one problem.

The Cardinals need Major League ready starting pitching in exchange for Donovan. Seattle has that, but according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, the Mariners don’t want to trade from that group.

For this reason, other suitors may make more sense. The Giants have plenty of young starters that are Major League ready and could benefit the Cardinals, as do the Kansas City Royals and Red Sox.

The Cardinals have already made two trades with the Red Sox, so they wouldn’t be a bad trade partner to circle back to. The Royals have left-hander Noah Cameron, who had a solid 2025 season.

But unless Seattle is willing to trade from their group of Major League ready starters, the Cardinals should stay away from trading with them if they want the best possible return for Donovan.

Other teams can give them a better return and can help them move their rebuild along rather quickly, so it’s best for St. Louis to look in that direction instead.

Either way, they could bring back a lot of good pieces for Donovan, who is their best trade asset.

It will be interesting to see what Chaim Bloom has planned and which team he’ll end up trading with, but he’ll be looking for the best possible return for the All-Star.

Trading Donovan could open up second base for top prospect JJ Wetherholt this offseason.

More MLB: Cardinals' Chaim Bloom Reveals Willson Contreras' Stance On Being Traded