Seattle Mariners: What's the cost of a trade for Donovan?

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With Jorge Polanco off the board, the Seattle Mariners have had to change course on how they will address their need to add a proven infield bat to the roster.

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Outside of big names who will demand high-dollar contracts that may be out of Seattle’s price range like Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette, there isn’t a whole lot in terms of impact infield bats in this year’s free agent class. So it appears as if the club’s answer to adding to its infield could come through trade.

The Mariners have been linked to some of top infielders available on the trade market, namely Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the case of Donovan, they are one of two reported front-runners to land the 2025 All-Star.

“Now they definitely need to add another bat,” Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Wednesday. “It’s no secret they’re chasing Brendan Donovan, who maybe doesn’t have the offensive upside of Polanco, but the floor is much higher when you consider what he brings defensively, his versatility and how well he fits the roster. So we’ll see if they’re able to get that across the finish line.”

What would it cost for the Mariners to get Donovan? Former Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn recently went on the Cardinal Territory podcast and suggested a deal with the Mariners for Donovan should require a player like starting pitcher Bryce Miller heading to St. Louis.

Shusterman isn’t quite so sure that a deal involving Miller makes much sense for either team.

“I don’t really see a scenario where they trade a current starter. I think that would be a much more reasonable thing to consider when talking about Ketel Marte, but even still, it’s hard for me to see them definitively getting better in 2026 by trading a current starter,” Shusterman said of the Mariners.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported on Saturday that switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and slugging outfielder Lazaro Montes were two of the Mariners prospects the Cardinals had inquired about in deal for Donovan, who has two years of club control remaining. Shusterman believes a trade for a high-upside young arm like Cijntje makes more sense for St. Louis.

“I understand Bryce Miller has a lot of years of control left, but (the Cardinals are) still thinking, I think, a lot more long-term, bigger picture than getting a major-league-ready starter right now,” Shusterman said. “I think they need as much upside as possible, and I think in Brendan Donovan’s case, sure, they want guys that are close to the majors, not a bunch of A-ball prospects. But I think they’re looking for the highest possible upside. If that’s Jurrangelo and pieces, that might be more valuable to them than Bryce Miller.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.