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# Mariners Pick up Every Stitch? How Donovan Deal Makes Seattle AL West Favorite
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/mariners-pick-up-every-stitch-how-donovan-deal-makes-seattle-al-west-favorite/
- Published: 2026-02-03T00:40:16.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:56:30.000Z
- Author: Callaghan Bluechel
- Tags: News, Analysis, Mariners, Brendan Donovan, Ben Williamson, Jurrangelo Cijntje

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3382"\]

![  St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27077861-format-original.jpg)

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) hits a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

Get thy bearings. Punxsutawney Phil may have foreseen six more weeks of winter, but the Mariners got their sunshine utility guy in the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan. The fit had been noted very early on in the offseason, and although Cardinals general manager Chaim Bloom waited until every other stitch had been picked up in the offseason infield market, Mariners brass made their mind up and dove for it.

The three-team deal also involved the Tampa Bay Rays, with full details listed below:

There was a time when the Mariners were in a dead heat with Houston for the division, but this deal brings them that extra bat that they needed to put space between them in the race to the top of the AL West. Donovan has a career slash of .282/.361/.411, and that has remained remarkably consistent over his four years in the majors. He’s likely to lead off against right-handed pitching, as his career .373 on base percentage against righties makes him one of the premier base-getters on the Mariners, though he generally does worse against southpaws and as such will be further down in the lineup. 

According to the Szymborski Projection System (ZiPS), his .751 projected OPS is fourth highest on the Mariners, only behind Josh Naylor (.784), Julio Rodríguez (.789), and Cal Raleigh (.829). While each of these projected OPS figures is a midpoint in a range of projections, given Donovan’s very consistent history, we might expect him to hover around these numbers.

Another benefit to Donovan is his approach. Where many other Mariners suffer from the strikeout, Donovan has a career 13.5% strikeout rate, 15th lowest in baseball since 2022 among those with 1000 or more plate appearances. He consistently hovers around 13-15% whiff rates, better than roughly 95% of the league. While his chase rates have increased each year over his career - a potential bad omen - he is still well better than league average in that regard. The M’s will likely be looking to get Donovan’s walk rates back up to where they were in 2022, though they will have to do this without affecting the rest of his profile. Still, his discipline is a very good sign, and his peskiness contrasts with the power hitters elsewhere to help overload opposing pitchers.

When it comes to defense, Donovan might not be a universal soldier, but he’s the next best thing for Seattle. He can play left field, third base, and second, with some limited experience in right field to boot. This flexibility brings much-needed depth to a Mariners offense that is otherwise lacking, as Colt Emerson and Cole Young can get reps in even with Donovan playing every day. Emerson will also have less pressure in his rookie year, given that Donovan can play his position, and this could help cultivate a “next man up” mentality in a team that is looking to begin a run of dominance.

Donovan won’t be the elite defender Ben Williamson is, but the bat upgrade fills a key hole in the lineup and makes opposing arms’ job harder, adding a type of value to the lineup that is greater than the sum of its parts. Put it this way: Donovan’s OPS in 2025 was .775 while Williamson’s was .604 - it’s absolutely a categorical upgrade even without factoring in the versatility.

### Every Man Has His Chain: analyzing the return package.

Ben Williamson, a magnet-gloved third baseman with a more than uncertain bat, will be taking his hotshot-eating leather to the Tampa Bay Rays for 2026\. While [there are definite signs that he might improve his bat](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/can-ben-williamson-become-mariners-everyday-third-baseman) \- and if he gets it to even a league average clip, he would turn into an incredibly valuable player - but there was a lot of risk in keeping him on as the starting third baseman in a team with World Series aspirations. Mariners brass had talked him up a fair amount earlier in the winter, a potential sign that they were already shopping him around back then, but the specifics of the package likely only came together after Luis Arráez went to San Francisco.

Tampa sent outfielder Colton Ledbetter and a Round B Competitive Balance (Comp B) draft pick to St. Louis to complete the deal, hence their involvement for Ben Williamson. Seattle also sent St. Louis a Comp B pick.

From the minor league system, the Mariners parted with two guys, most notably switch-pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje. Sporting a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup, he is currently a starter but could end up moving to the bullpen. His pitching is notably better from the right side, meaning that he will likely become a full-time righty unless the Cardinals see something of note in his left-handed delivery. There’s a chance that the M’s dealt Cijntje at the height of his prospect capital, though he clearly has good big league potential. 

Cijntje’s four-pitch mix is anchored by his fastball (55/60 grade on FanGraphs and 60 grade on Baseball America) and slider (50/60 grade on FanGraphs and 60 grade on Baseball America), with the jury currently out on his changeup (50/60 grade on FanGraphs but 45 grade on Baseball America) and his control (30/40 on FanGraphs but 50 on Baseball America). He walked 11.1% of batters in High-A and 11% of batters in Double-A during his 2025 season, a rate worse than nearly 90% of big leaguers - this is one of the things presaging a potential move to the ‘pen - and while there are successful major league pitchers that work around such walk issues, it’s something the Cardinals will want to see reduced over the coming years.

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1465"\]

![  FanGraphs gives Tai Peete an estimated 40+ “future value” while Baseball America gives him an “adjusted value” of 40 based on a potential 60 value with extreme risk.  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/tai-peete-format-original.png)

FanGraphs gives Tai Peete an estimated 40+ “future value” while Baseball America gives him an “adjusted value” of 40 based on a potential 60 value with extreme risk. \[/caption\]

Tai Peete is the second guy going over to St. Louis. He has a power-speed profile limited by his ability to make contact, as his 30.6% strikeout rate with the High-A Everett AquaSox in 2025 isn’t the world’s best sign going into the higher levels of the minors. It’s possible that the Cardinals keep him at High-A to start off the 2026 season before bringing him up to Double-A, as his .217/.288/.404 slash line from 2025 probably needs to improve before he gets the promotion.

While I do have my doubts about Peete’s future, his is only 20, so there is plenty of time for the Cardinals to iron out the issues in his profile. Cijntje, meanwhile, was one of three high-end pitching prospects in the Mariners system, and even though I never put much stock in his switch-pitching as a distinct upside (given how he is already better from the right side than the left), his departure still leaves Seattle a little dry when it comes to pitching prospects.

But the bottom line is this: There is no use hoarding prospects and not trying for the sun. Seattle was less than three innings away from making it to the World Series in 2025, and finally making it to the big dance is something that isn’t helped at all by playing with only house money and treading so light so not to touch the grass. There is still plenty more prospect capital in the Mariners system and the move for Donovan makes a clear improvement to the team.