The Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Rays reportedly agreed to a massive three-team trade on Monday centered around veteran utility player Brendan Donovan. In total, five players and a draft pick were moved as part of the swap, including third baseman Ben Williamson and former first-round draft picks Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete.
As is the case whenever a notable trade happens during Major League Baseball’s offseason, I’m here to provide analysis on each of the players and to judge how the teams fared. That analysis is then reduced to bite-size in the form of a letter grade — that part is (by far) the least important of the exercise.
Before we get to the analysis, here’s a look at the trade again in its entirety:
- Mariners receive: UTL Brendan Donovan
- Rays receive: 3B Ben Williamson
- Cardinals receive: SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, OF Tai Peete, OF Colton Ledbetter, two compensatory draft picks
Let’s proceed.
Mariners grade: B
Just last week, three members of our baseball staff predicted Donovan would end up on the Mariners before spring training started. Sometimes, player-team fits are too obvious to actually happen. That looked like it might end up being the case here, with Donovan’s tenure in St. Louis stretching deeper into the offseason than most would have expected back in November. That’s life for you.
The 29-year-old Donovan is a compelling fit for the Mariners because of his offensive track record and his defensive versatility. In four big-league seasons, he’s yet to produce an OPS+ below 114. Last year’s Mariners club, a 90-win team that almost won the pennant, had just four players clear that mark in more than 300 trips to the plate. Donovan’s offensive game is built around discipline and contact. He’s comfortable working at-bats and he’s connected on more than 90% of the in-zone swings he’s taken as a big-league player. When he puts a ball in play, it’s usually on a line and often classified as being hit hard. That’s a good combination, and he should continue to find success despite now playing his home games in the least friendly offensive environment in the sport for left-handed batters, per Statcast.
Defensively, Donovan has ample experience across the diamond, with most of his recent burn coming at second base or in left field. The Mariners have shed multiple options at the hot corner this winter (Williamson in this deal and Eugenio Suárez through free agency), so they may prefer to deploy him at third base most days, depending on how they fill out the remainder of their roster.
Donovan is under team control through the 2027 season, which helps explain why the Mariners had to give up Cijntje and Williamson to complete the deal. Seattle probably won’t regret it in the long haul. The Mariners have shown a real talent for pitching development and they have another promising young infielder in the way in Colt Emerson. Add in Donovan’s immediate impact on a club that may again compete for the pennant and this would be a likable trade without the other pieces.
Cardinals grade: A
Cijntje, 22, was the 15th pick in the 2024 draft. CBS Sports just ranked him as the 44th-best prospect in the minors. Here’s the extent of his writeup:
Cijntje, best known for being a switch-pitcher who can clear 90 mph with either arm, was Seattle’s first-round pick in 2024. He reached Double-A in his first full professional season despite some underwhelming numbers that make it clear his future is exclusively as a right-hander. Indeed, he surrendered a .618 OPS and recorded a nearly 20% strikeout-minus-walk rate throwing righty, as opposed to 1.117 OPS and more walks than strikeouts as a lefty. Cijntje will be just dandy when and if he gives up on the novelty act: he has a sneaky good right-handed fastball as well as a swing-and-miss breaker that ought to result in a middle-of-the-rotation future.
Cijntje joins a vastly improved group of Cardinals pitching prospects. Dating back to last summer, they’ve now drafted Liam Doyle and added Cijntje, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Yhoiker Fajardo, Brandon Clarke, Blake Aita, and Jack Martinez to the organization through trades. Clearly they had a desire to upgrade their pitching depth without having to pay for it on the free-agent market.
Peete, 20, was the 30th pick in the 2023 Draft. He’s a lefty-swinging outfielder with dynamic power-speed upside, but usability continues to be an issue — specifically with respect to a nearly 33% whiff rate. Last year in High-A, he hit .217/.288/.404 with 19 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 125 games. Peete’s game is centered on pulling and lifting the ball. If he can make contact a little more frequently, he has a chance to make an impact at the big-league level.
Ledbetter, 24, was the 55th pick in the 2023 Draft by way of Mississippi State. He spent last season in Double-A, hitting .265/.337/.378 with seven home runs and 37 stolen bases. Ledbetter, a left-handed swinger, has struggled with same-handed pitching throughout his professional career. He’s a capable athlete who can play across the outfield, though he’s best deployed in a corner spot. Add those sentences together and you have a player who is probably topping out as a spare outfielder.
The two compensatory pick should check in around Nos. 68 and 72. In total, that gives the Cardinals five picks in the top 72 overall in the 2026 Draft.
Rays grade: B
Williamson, 25, is a former second-round pick who batted .253/.294/.310 (76 OPS+) with a home run and five stolen bases in his 85-game introduction to the majors. He’s a fantastic third baseman who would likely be earmarked for a future Gold Glove Award if he could hit more. As it stands, Williamson lacks the swing path and bat speed to hit for power. His approach is also mismatched: he offers less within the zone and more outside of the zone than the league-average player.
Without any gains on the offensive end — and without a positional switch to shortstop — Williamson’s game probably looks something like Ke’Bryan Hayes’. There are worse fates to experience.
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