Update, 6:30 p.m. CT: The Cardinals also got a Comp B draft pick from Seattle.  

The St. Louis Cardinals made their fourth big trade of the offseason on Monday afternoon, sending out All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners. The Tampa Bay Rays were also involved, with the Rays receiving Ben Williamson from the Mariners.

Seattle sent prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete to St. Louis. The Cardinals are also getting Double-A outfielder Colton Ledbetter from the Rays, as well as a comp pick.

Adam Jude of the Seattle Times and Joel Sherman of the New York Post combined to end up with the full deal. 

In addition to this move, the Cardinals have also sent away starting pitcher Sonny Gray, catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras and Gold Glover Nolan Arenado this offseason. They've received almost exclusively prospects in the deals as they look to rebuild under first-year executive Chaim Bloom.

Here's what you need to know:

Having just turned 29, Donovan is a a four-year veteran of the Cardinals. He hit .287 in 2025 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs, also posting a .353 on-base percentage and a 119 OPS+. He also earned his first All-Star selection. Donovan is a career .282 hitter who had only a 13.0 percent strikeout rate last season, and with all of baseball is looking to improve upon its strikeout prevention rate, Donovan has been an attractive trade option.

He has two years left of team control and can play all over the diamond. He spent 100 games at second base, 18 in left field, six at shortstop and two at designated hitter in 2025 and was named a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award at the utility position, losing out to teammate Alec Burleson.

Cijntje was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Mariners organization and checked in at No. 91 overall in the latest MLB Pipeline rankings. It should be noted that he was not in the Top 100 for Baseball America, so there are some differing opinions.

A first-round pick of the M's in 2024 out of Mississippi State, he reached as high as Double-A in 2025, making seven appearances for the Arkansas Travelers. Now 22, he's famously a "switch-pitcher," but it's unclear if the Cardinals will continue to develop him in that way. The Mariners had just announced him as a right-handed pitcher only in their spring training invite list. 

He went 5-7 with a 3.99 ERA, striking out 120 batters in 108.1 innings at High-A and Double-A.

He is better as a right-hander.

A first-round pick in 2023, he ranked as the No. 11 prospect in Seattle's organization at the end of 2025. Just 20 years old, he moved to the outfield and struggled offensively at High-A Everett, hitting .217 with a .288 on-base percentage. He had 19 homers and 63 RBIs to go along with 25 steals, but he also struck out 162 times.

A little older, he's now 24 years old and ended the 2025 campaign as the No. 24 prospect for Tampa Bay. A second-round pick in 2023, he played at Samford and Mississippi State for college. He hit .265 at Double-A Montgomery in 2025, posting a .337 on-base percentage, seven home runs and 37 stolen bases.

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