If the St. Louis Cardinals want to make a deal, they have arguably one of the best overall trade chips in the game in Brendan Donovan.

That’s not just speculation. His name has been out there all over the place because of the fact that teams want him. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Donovan’s market could include as many as 22 teams around the league. That’s how highly the league thinks of the Cardinals’ utility man.

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A handful of teams have been linked to him this offseason. A lot of it has just been noise. Mock trades, speculation, things of that nature. But Adam Jude of The Seattle Times raised some eyebrows on Wednesday by reporting that the Seattle Mariners are among the teams that have “expressed interest” in Donovan.

The Cardinals should call the MarinersEmpty heading

“Donovan was on the Mariners’ radar a year ago, and the M’s have again expressed interest in the versatile left-handed hitter,” Judge wrote. “If the Cardinals make him available, Donovan will attract a lot of teams for a lot of reasons. A first-time All-Star this year, Donovan is just 28 years old and he’s projected to make roughly $5 million in arbitration for 2026. In an era of swing-and-miss, Donovan’s high-contact metrics stand out. His 13 percent strikeout rate ranked among the lowest in MLB this year, and he hit .287 with a .353 on-base percentage and a .775 OPS, 10 homers and 32 doubles. His 119 wRC+ (where 100 represents league average) ranked No. 5 among all MLB second baseman.

“Primarily a second baseman, he also has considerable experience in left field, and some time at third base and shortstop. With the departure of longtime utility player Dylan Moore late in the 2025 season, the Mariners could turn to Donovan for a similar role. With Donovan, though, the Mariners would plan to use him in an everyday capacity, and he would be a strong candidate to take over as the leadoff hitter, too.”

Seattle would be an intriguing team to target because it currently has a hole at third base and second base after making it to the American League Championship Series and re-signing Josh Naylor, maybe it would be willing to get aggressive for Donovan.

If the Cardinals could poach one of the Mariners’ cost-controlled, young starting pitchers, that would make things interesting. Seattle’s rotation is a massive strength. It features Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller. If the Cardinals could land a starter, that would make a conversation worthwhile. Reports have surfaced saying the Cardinals won’t trade Donovan unless they are blown away. One of these Mariners starters should fit that description.