The St. Louis Cardinals traded All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners in a three-team deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, acquiring prospects Jurrangelo Cijntje, Tai Peete, and Colton Ledbetter along with two 2026 draft picks. The move caps an offseason of subtractions for the Cardinals, who also dealt Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. St. Louis aims to stockpile talent for a long-term rebuild.
On Monday night, the St. Louis Cardinals completed a three-team trade that sent fan-favorite All-Star Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners. In return, the Cardinals received ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, outfielder Tai Peete, outfielder Colton Ledbetter, and the Nos. 68 and 72 picks in the 2026 MLB Draft from the Rays' Competitive Balance selections. The Rays acquired third baseman Ben Williamson from the Mariners.
Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom emphasized the importance of the draft picks, stating, “The deal would not have happened without their inclusion. Obviously, as I talked about all offseason, we wanted to set a bar pretty high if we were going to contemplate [trading Donovan].” With these additions, St. Louis now holds six picks in the first 86 of the 2026 Draft: Nos. 13, 32, 50, 68, 72, and 86.
This transaction follows earlier deals that shipped third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Diamondbacks for pitcher Jack Martinez, ace Sonny Gray and catcher Willson Contreras to the Red Sox for pitchers Brandon Clarke, Richard Fitts, Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo, and Blake Aita. The moves have transformed the Cardinals' farm system, now boasting six Top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline: JJ Wetherholt (No. 5), Liam Doyle (No. 34), Rainiel Rodriguez (No. 37), Joshua Baez (No. 87), Cijntje (No. 91), and Leonardo Bernal (No. 98).
Cijntje, a 22-year-old from Curaçao selected 15th overall in 2024, struck out 120 batters in 108 1/3 innings across High-A and Double-A in 2025, though the Cardinals view his highest potential as a right-handed starter. Peete, 20, hit .217/.288/.404 with 19 home runs and 25 stolen bases in High-A last year. Ledbetter, 24, batted .265/.337/.378 with seven home runs and 37 steals in Double-A.
The trade clears space for top prospect Wetherholt at second base and aligns with Bloom's strategy to rebuild after years of playoff misses and a depleted farm system. Despite the youth movement, projections suggest a .500-ish 2026 season with wildcard potential. Bloom noted, “We feel like we’ve added significant talent and significant upside.”
