Mariners just put public pressure on Cardinals as Brendan Donovan deadline looms

Pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks for the St. Louis Cardinals. Full-squad workouts begin in exactly two weeks on February 16th. Time is ticking for Chaim Bloom to finish his first offseason as president of baseball operations.

Bloom's checklist is already pretty well done. He offloaded the contracts of Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado while bringing back seven prospects. He found a legitimate starting pitcher in Dustin May to fill in at the top of the rotation. His remaining to-do items are few and far between. One of those items likely involves signing a right-handed hitter who can play corner infield or outfield. Another item that could be on his list is trading utility man Brendan Donovan.

One suitor for Donovan could spring a trade this week.

Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto hints at a potential trade for St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan.

At the Mariners fanfest over the weekend, Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners' president of baseball operations, spoke about one final move being up his sleeve. "There's one more move that we feel like is in and we want to make," said Dipoto. "We've been grinding hard for the last handful of days to see if we can bring it through, and hopefully we do."

The Mariners have been linked to Donovan for two offseasons now. The Gold Glover's versatility and plus offense would be a boost to the Mariners lineup for sure. Adam Jude of The Seattle Times believes that Brendan Donovan is the Mariners' top target still.

"The Mariners have been widely linked to St. Louis super utility player Brendan Donovan, an All-Star in 2025," writes Jude. "Donovan can play second, third or left field, and the Mariners are known to have had trade talks with the Cardinals about him in each of the past two offseasons.

"Donovan still appears to be the most likely target for the Mariners, and there is industry-wide belief that the Cardinals are motivated to move him."

The Mariners have Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson as options in the infield, but Donovan would represent a more sure upgrade to Seattle's lineup in 2026 and 2027.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reported earlier this offseason that Jurrangelo Cijntje and Lazaro Montes have been discussed as tradeable prospects between the two teams. The Cardinals will assuredly be asking for multiple top prospects in a trade for Donovan. Chaim Bloom's price has been described as high, and it's been reported that he will have to be overwhelmed to deal Donnie. If Seattle gets desperate and feels pressure, they may cave and rise to Bloom's asking price.

Bloom has put an unofficial deadline on a Brendan Donovan trade. This deadline, while he himself has not called it official, is the start of spring training. By then, Bloom hopes to have his roster finalized. If there is going to be a Brendan Donovan trade, it feels like it'll happen soon. Between Dipoto's comments about something being close and Bloom's soft deadline of spring training, a Brendan Donovan trade could come to fruition very soon.