For most of this offseason, it seemed a matter of "when" rather than "if" the St. Louis Cardinals would trade 2025 All-Star and former Gold Glove winner Brendan Donovan.

Donovan, who was St. Louis' only All-Star last season, netted the organization a big return in a three-team deal with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays: switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, outfielders Tai Peete and Colton Ledbetter and two Competitive Balance Round-B picks.

Most of the attention was paid toward Cijntje, who is listed as the 91st-best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline's top 100.

Peete, who was the other player the Mariners sent the Cardinals' way, is a high-potential in his own right. He was assigned to the High-A Peoria Chiefs after the trade.

Peete was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He was a part of a stout '23 class for Seattle that included top 100 prospects Colt Emerson (No. 9 MLB Pipeline) and Jonny Farmelo (No. 78).

St. Louis fans got their first look at Peete in the team's 6-5 Grapefruit League win against the Miami Marlins on Monday.

Peete subbed in for Nathan Church in center field and batted third in the lineup after checking in the game. He went 0-for-2 and struck out in his only two at-bats.

Peete spent the entirety of last season with Seattle's High-A affiliate, the Everett AquaSox. He slashed .217/.288/.404 with a .692 OPS and hit 24 doubles, four triples and 19 home runs with 63 RBIs in 125 games. He stole 25 bases in 36 opportunities. He has 76 total steals in 93 opportunities across three pro seasons.

The 20-year-old took a significant jump in power at the expense of on-base numbers. His 19 homers far exceeded his previous single-season career-high (seven). His on-base percentage went down from .343 with the Single-A Modesto Nuts in 2024 to .288 in '25.

Peete's athleticism is his biggest calling card as a prospect. He was originally drafted as a shortstop and played 610 innings in the middle infield in '24. He made the full-time transition to center field with Everett and registered 866.2 innings at the position.

Despite his inconsistent year last season, Peete still entered the season as the Mariners' No. 10 prospect according to Baseball America.

If Peete can bring his on-base numbers back up to pair with his newfound power, there's a very good chance he can find himself to being a top prospect in the Cardinals farm system.

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