Brendan Donovan makes a lot of sense as the Cardinals look to rebuild their roster under Chaim Bloom.
With the MLB season now over, it's time to start playing the speculation game as the Seattle Mariners look to build their roster for 2026.
After advancing to the American League Championship Series in 2025, the M's will enter 2026 with real expectations, but they'll have a lot of work to do this offseason in order to meet them.
With $30-35 million to spend this offseason, the M's have real questions about how they will retain or replace Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez. They could use free agency, but likely don't have enough money to do all they need there, so they will probably have to dip into the trade market.
One name that appears to be a possibility there is Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, who was just listed as a fit for the M's by MLBTradeRumors. The outlet listed him as the No. 3 player most likely to be traded on Sunday.
That high-contact approach, affordable salary and defensive versatility make Donovan a natural fit on virtually any contender. Tigers president of baseball ops Scott Harris has openly spoken about wanting to cut back on his lineup’s swing-and-miss tendencies, and Detroit could lose second baseman Gleyber Torres to free agency. Houston GM Dana Brown has been open at various points in the past year about wanting to balance out a righty-heavy lineup. The Mariners could lose Jorge Polanco and have long been working to scale back on the strikeouts. The Yankees were connected to Donovan last winter. The Royals have holes at second base and in at least one outfield corner. There are no shortage of fits.
About Donovan
About to turn 29 years old, Donovan is under contract through 2027 and is projected to make about $5.5 million in arbitration next season. So from a financial perspective, he makes sense. He hit .287 with a .353 on-base percentage in 2025, hitting 10 homers and bringing home 50.
He had a 119 OPS+, which put him on par with Randy Arozarena, who is slated to make about $18 million for the M's. He only played in 118 games but played in 153 in 2024, putting up solid numbers as well.
Defensively, he played 100 games at second base and he played 18 in the outfield, as well as six at shortstop.
Why would St. Louis trade him?
The Cardinals are set to rebuild under first-year CBO Chaim Bloom. They'll be looking to unload veteran pieces or pieces on short-term deals. Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado and Donovan all fit that bill.
How can the M's match up?
The Mariners have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, ripe with Top 100 prospects. Enough said.
How would the M's use him?
The million dollar question. Would the M's trade Arozarena to open up left field? Would they use him at second base, and if so, what happens to Cole Young? Is designated hitter an option, but what happens to Polanco?
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