Brendan Donovan Traded to Mariners in Three-Team Deal

Donovan is a career 119-wRC+ hitter, displaying a blend of great contact accuracy, swing decisions, and power for a middle infielder.

A table setter for much of his time in St. Louis, Donovan should fit in very nicely near the top of Seattle’s lineup in 2026. Expect plenty of RBI opportunities for Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, and it’s a boost of offense this lineup needed following the departures of Jorge Polanco and Suarez.

Another Prospect Haul for St. Louis

President of baseball operations Chaim Bloom made it clear in his introductory press conference that the franchise would be operating with the future in mind.

Those under guaranteed contracts and those who were arbitration eligible were immediately thrown onto the chopping block.

Previously this offseason, the team dealt stars Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras to contenders, retaining nearly $60 million to improve their returns.

With two years left of team control, Donovan is a 55 present-value talent that could help continue the Cardinals’ overhaul of their farm system.

This is exactly what happened on Monday, as St. Louis netted another top-100-caliber prospect in Jurrangelo Cijntje as the cornerstone of the deal.

An ambidextrous pitcher, Cijntje is capable of getting outs with either arm but is far more advanced as a righty.

Clear command issues exist from the left side, and it was recently reported that Cijntje would strictly pitch from the right side in 2026. Even with a trade, it would be surprising to see this directive change.

Between High-A and Double-A, Cijntje logged 108.1 innings pitched, fanning 120 hitters and walking 51 in the process.

A second piece coming back to the Cardinals is centerfielder Tai Peete. The 30th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Peete is a power-over-contact type who made a thunderous impact upon hitting pro ball.

He was challenged at High-A Everett in 2025, and while he mustered just a 79 wRC+, he did crank 19 round trippers and swiped 25 bags in 529 plate appearances. Whiffs were an issue, with 30.6% of his plate appearances ending in strikeouts.

I’d expect him to return to the level in 2026, where he’ll still be relatively young for the level at just 20 years old.

The final player coming to the Cardinals is Colton Ledbetter, who most recently spent all of 2025 at Tampa Bay’s double-A affiliate, recording a cool 112 wRC+ in 535 PAs.

He’s an interesting tertiary piece in the deal, with the Cardinals clearly prioritizing high-variance, up-the-middle talents with an outside chance to click.

To round out the deal, St. Louis will also be receiving two Competitive Balance Round B picks in the 2026 draft, one each from Seattle and Tampa Bay. They now own six selections in the first 86 picks.

Tampa Bay Bolsters Its Bench

Electing to prioritize present value over future value in a playoff chase, Tampa Bay moves on from its balance pick in favor of Ben Williamson.

Before his promotion to the big leagues, he recorded a 118 wRC+ in 240 PAs for Triple-A Tacoma. After his call-up, he logged just a 76 wRC+ in 295 PAs.

As is typical for right-handed hitters, Williamson is far more advanced against lefties than he is against righties, proven by his 90 wRC+ versus LHP compared to just 70 against RHP.

He’s not expected to start immediately, with star Junior Caminero firmly holding down third base, but Williamson could find himself with a full-time starting role at some point in 2026.