Mariners Want Brendan Donovan: The Pitching Return St. Louis Needs

Mariners Want Brendan Donovan: The Pitching Return St. Louis Needs

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Headline, cover photo, all signs pointing to Donnie as the prime candidate for the uh the Seattle Mariners who fell as the uh runners up in the American League last season. Uh it’s one that apparently has been visited a few times up in Seattle and now they’re going to try to see if they can get Heim Bloom to uh pull the trigger on something. Yeah. The headline of the Seattle Times piece by Adam is here are Mariners possible infield options heading into MLB winter meetings. And you’re right, Brennan Donovan is the photo that they elected to use for the article. And as you go through the list of names, Donovan’s is the first one on the board that is really prominently featured. And it talks about how if the Cardinals make him available, obviously a lot of teams will be interested. Uh but that Donovan was on the Mariners uh Mariners radar, excuse me, a year ago. And says the M’s have again expressed interest in the versatile left-handed hitter. So we know the Cardinals are looking to trade from the lefty bats. Really, I think any of them would make sense as a match between the Cardinals and the Mariners, but I think the interesting question is lining up. All right, which bat are the Cardinals going to move and for what? Because pitching is obviously something they can use. Pitching is something we’ve talked about with the Mariners having that young costcontrolled starting pitching that they have had for a number of years as we’ve kind of done this song and dance before whether it was with Donovan. It seems like a few years ago it was Nolan Gorman that was all the rage and people wondering, oh, could the Cardinals flip him for one of those Mariners arms? But in the years since we’ve started thinking about that, the Mariners arms have developed into really some very prominent big league starters. When you think about George Kirby, when you think about Logan Gilbert, and even like I it feels like a couple years ago the name was well Brian Woo, maybe that’s the guy that you can get because the other guys are are more proven. They’re too good. You’re not going to be able to make that swap. Even though the Mariners would love to get a bat, they’re not going to be trading those guys. Now, it feels like Brian Woo is in that same category though is the problem where he has had two consecutive seasons with a sub3ra. The problem, if you can call it one, is that he is also a very good established controllable star for that Mariners rotation. And so, would you be able to attract them to give up a guy like that? I don’t know that you can possibly do it anymore. And so I guess the conversation for the Cardinals would be if we’re moving down the ladder a couple of rungs on what we’re willing to take back, are we willing to give the Mariners our most prominent trade chip in this off season? Or are the Cardinals going to try to float, you know, a Lars Nukebar or Nolan Gorman instead of a Brendan Donovan? That would be kind of an interesting song and dance, I would think, between old and high bloom this winter. Yeah. as you and you look through it, the Mariners are one team. When you see the the mock trades, when you see a lot of these things floating around the internet, the Mariners are are one of those teams that’s that’s thrown into a lot of these because they do have the the pitching depth. They have the pitching uh in their farm system, too, that that a lot of people are looking at. And that’s one that that has been thrown out there a lot. Um I you I’m going to butcher the name, but the one name you see thrown around in a lot of these uh Gerangelo Sagente, the uh switch pitcher that uh I I just want because it’s it’s just so damn cool. And I I just want to see that at any point, minor leagues, major leagues, and I want it to be something that I can watch and follow as far as the Cardinals go. So that that’s going to that just having him in the mix and knowing that he is a former first round pick. It that’s that’s one of the reasons why I want this to work out so well and I want him to be involved. And I believe the last name is just pronounced Sanja is is what I’m getting from uh a quick Google search. So you know what when they trade for him and he does his zoom with the Cardinals, we’ll be sure to ask. Durangelo Sanja. Uh and yeah, the switch pitcher. That’s the kind of name that the Cardinals ne we wouldn’t have even been able to speculate about it under John Moslock. And now it’s like maybe they would do something fun like that and and acquire a picture of that ilk and you know heck you can throw him 400 innings right because he can throw a couple hundred with this arm, couple hundred with that arm. Um I don’t know certainly intriguing and you know has put together some good numbers uh in his lone professional season. Uh doublea Arkansas had a 2.67 67 RA in 33 innings with uh 37 strikeouts. That was after he was called up from high A. So, I mean, he’s he’s a guy that did throw 108 innings. I don’t know how many of those were left-handed, how many of those were right-handed. Uh but 108 innings, 120 strikeouts between two minor league levels last year, a 3.99 combined erra. So, definitely an interesting prospect like you said. And like that’s where I wonder if it’s more likely the Cardinals trading Brendon Donovan, you’re it’s too late to be able to get some of those established guys from their rotation is my concern. I would still have some interest in Bryce Miller. Um but but but from those other names that have really established themselves with the Mariners, it feels like it’s just like that opportunity has passed you by because they’ve established themselves so much. So you’re right, you would start looking into okay, what’s in the system? That’s that’s what I wanted to ask you. Is it too much to add? Like one of the guys that’s already in their rotation, one of the young pitchers that they have there in in their rotation and Woo comes in uh he’ll be 26 in in January. So Bryce Miller 28 years old or 27 years old right now. Those are guys that you can look at and you could say, “Okay, you know, we’re going to put you top end of this rotation and you you can be a a you know, one or two for the Cardinals.” And I I think with Brend with Brendan Donovan, different from what we’ve talked about with a return for a guy like a Sunny Gray or what we could talk about in a return for especially Nolan Aronado. I I think with Brendan Donovan, I think when you go look at the top prospects for a team, you can start at the very top of that list and you can say, “All right, here’s where we are starting. This is these are our needs. This is what you have. If you want Brendan Donovan, here’s what I’m going to need you to part with.” And I I feel like Brendan Donovan is the guy right now that you can do that with. I agree. But what’s the name? Like let’s go through some of these specific names. I’m telling you, I’ll be hind blue. Yes, I’ll trade you Brendan Donovan, but but what do you got to offer me? Who are the arms that you really think you’re that Seattle would offer up? Because it’s not going to be Gilbert or Kirby. I mean, it starts you can you can wipe them off the list. Are you Is Seattle offering Castillo’s too old? Yeah. Castillo’s too old. Yeah, forget about Castile. I would start if I’m the Cardinals, I would start saying we would love to have Brian Woo. And if I’m the Mariners, I would say that that’s nice. Like I I think he’s just been too consistent over the last couple of seasons and he’s got more team control attached than Donovan. So I feel pretty comfortable saying as much of a trade asset as Brendan Donovan is, u I feel pretty confident that Brian Woo is more valuable of a trade asset than Donovan. And so if I’m the Mariners, I would kick that down and say, “Yeah, Bryce Miller, come on down. He had a good 2024 and a bad 2025. If you’re looking at the numbers, he definitely tailed off. And so you wonder, you know, he he spent time on the injured list, I assume, just looking at the numbers. I don’t recall back to the season of what he had going on. He pitched a few games in AAA and that looks like probably rehab starts. Um only 18 games in the big leagues. So, what was his injury is something that we would need to ascertain real quick here and figure out like if you’re the Cardinals, what are you are you willing to take the risk because he was dealing with right elbow inflammation, which is kind of what I figured it was caused by a bone spur. So, they could say, “Ah, it’s a bone spur. It’s nothing big.” I don’t think if I’m the Cardinals, I can put all my eggs into the Bryce Miller basket if this is my most prominent trade asset. it it feels like too risky of a play right now given the the elbow stuff that he dealt with this past season even though his 2024 numbers were really really good. The one thing that with the Mariers, they are a a team that you don’t hear I mean hear much as far as where where that you ownership, you don’t hear anything I I feel like from them on that front, which is usually a good thing when you don’t hear a whole lot from from your team’s ownership. But when you look at their payroll, you you do want I mean they are middle I mean $92 million I think is what their projected payroll is for 26, which is I I just had it up here. it is ranked uh 15th. So, they are right in the dead middle of of the pack when it comes to payroll. And you wonder if that’s a team that if they do trade away a top pitcher, they they should have the money to be able to go out there and afford a a top-of-the-line pitcher out of free agency to replace it with that. So, and that is, you know, a way of thinking for for them that they could go. And when you look at all of their needs and wants, everything is, you know, trade or, you know, that Josh Naylor wasn’t a big sign, wasn’t a a huge money expense in a signing. I guess you’re probably a few years away from having to play pay Cal Raleigh. You pro, have they paid uh they paid Julio Rodriguez already? And Raleigh did get extended already. That that happened before his breakout season. So, they’ve got him on a really good price tag is is basically the the story there. And Julio Rodriguez, have they extended him yet, too? They’ve Yes. Okay. It seems like they would have money to spend. I would think so. And but like Jerry Dotto is so creative in the trades that he’s willing to make that I would say that makes it more likely to be able to get something done, especially now that Mosa Lak is gone because I just feel like he was probably the reason. Like if you’re if you’re engaged for multiple years talking about a a group of players with Jerry Dotto and a deal doesn’t get done, it’s not him. He’s not the reason that the deal didn’t happen because he is constantly wheeling and dealing almost to a fault. It’s easy come easy go when it comes to trade chips. He’s like a fantasy football GM. Uh so I feel like there is definitely the possibility, but it’ll be him and Heim Bloom having to get on the same page about which of these guys matches up to fair compensation and fair value in a trade. a little bit more on Bryce Miller. So, he’s dealing with bone spur in the elbow. It’s an explanation for why he missed some time, for why he didn’t pitch as well. Had a 5.6 ADRA, 74 strikeouts in 90 regular season innings. Uh, but the Mariners, you mentioned, ended up getting to the the ALCS, and he pitched pretty well in the ALCS. Now, my concern would be that the strikeout stuff still really didn’t come back for him. Uh, but his three starts in the playoffs, ALDS and ALCS, four and a third innings, two runs, six innings, one run, four innings, one run. But a total of just nine strikeouts in those 14 innings. I’m just kind of putting all that out there to illustrate that like this is a guy that did have a sub3 erra in 2024. Dealt with some injury stuff. Yes, it’s elbow related. Seemingly by the end of the year was pitching pretty well. The playoffs were good to him. Not huge on the strikeout stuff. Bryce Miller, if I’m getting Bryce Miller for Brendan Donovan, I would want something else as well. Uh, and that will be interesting of where the Mariners would say like, “Yeah, we’re willing to do that or we’re not.” Because I think if if you’re Seattle, they’re going to say, “Man, our top three in our rotation is a is rock solid.” You mentioned Castillo, if he can be healthy, can be productive, he could be your number four. You could probably go out and buy one more. Bryce Miller could be expendable in the context of what they have, but if I’m the Cardinals, I I would want more than just the guy that is also dealing with some elbow stuff in the past year. That’s a that’s a risky proposition. If I have all of Major League Baseball asking me about Brendan Donovan, I get it. I probably can’t work my way up to Brian Woo. Um, I would try, but at that point, if Bryce Miller is the headliner of a package that maybe includes some prospects, that would be very compelling, I think, even with the risk of the elbow stuff. I don’t know if you feel that way, but that’s as we’re kind of talking through the Bryce Miller stuff, he he feels like a piece that could fit pending the confidence of his health. We will uh we’ll give our final thoughts on this. uh the possibility of a uh of a deal between uh the Cardinals and the Mariners and talk about a few other uh things as well right after this. You want a backyard paradise next summer? Talk to Marramac Pools and Outdoors now. No surprises, great design, straight pricing, and you can be swimming by Memorial Day. Hit splashcl.com. Marramac Pools and Outdoors. Turning big Griswald dreams into real St. Louis backyards for 25 years. Hey, St. Louis and anywhere in Missouri that you’re watching this. Are you enjoying your first week with DraftKings Sportsbook? I would imagine you are with all of the uh the great bonus bets that are happening all week long. 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The crown is yours in partnership with DraftKings Sportsbook. Gambling problem, call 1800 gambler, 21 and over, physically present in Missouri. Eligibility and restrictions apply. One single use odds boost per customer. Market boosted to plus100 odds. Max bet $50. Expires at 8:20 p.m. Eastern time December 7th. Terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. So, what I was told the other day uh as far as you know, we we it was Monday when we were given the or we we read the whole blown away. Uh you’d be blown away for Donovan or Berles. And what I’ve been told that means is a major league ready arm. a top minor league uh arm AAA double A ready to go in a year or two and probably about two other prospects that that you would throw throw in there to any kind of deal uh to get something like this done for Brendan Donovan. And if we’re just going off the top two of that list, the Mariners do seem like a team that has a lot of that to offer. They could offer Bryce Miller and and your guy Sanger and that would be really compelling I think for Brendan Donovan. And I’m a guy who has said the Cardinal should extend Brendan Donovan a contract offer right now. I would I would buy him out of the final two years of ARB. I would tack on you know three years of what would be free agent uh free agency eligibility for him. Do you have a number? Is Brendan Donovan a $20 million player on the open market? Is he an $18 million player on the open market? I really don’t know where he because it’s not like he’s a huge power hitter and and so some of the stuff that gets people paid maybe falls through the the cracks on him a little bit. But Joe, if it were 20 million a year, let’s be maybe somewhat generous. And knowing that he’s projected for about five in ARB this year, let’s even call it 10 for next year in ARB. That would be a contract of 75 million over five years. I’m not saying the Cardinals could get it done for that. I’m just saying that I think it’s in the neighborhood of of what could be discussable and I would like to believe that the Cardinals are going to try to field a competitive product within the next three four years to where you’re still gaining the benefit of Brendan Donovan. But if they can ask access what you’re talking about a Bryce Miller type of major league arm a SA type of prospect in a trade I don’t even really need the other two things. I think I would do that as a as a two for one if I’m the Cardinals. I don’t know if the Mariners would offer it, but that’s it’s not hard to understand why these two teams would be talking, Joe, with the numbers uh and the pitchers that they have. The And I just look for because you know, you think utility guy just right off the top of my head. Yeah. What the Dodgers gave Tommy Edmond was five years, $74 million, $15 million a year, give or take. Brendan Donovan is more valuable than Tommy Edmond. Yes. I’m trying to recall when they did that contract if they bought him out of one or two years of I think it was I think it was just one because of when the trade happened with the Cardinals, but it might have been two. So, you got to give me some time on on that because I I I thought Don I thought Evan was one year ahead of Donovan in terms of like eligibility for free agency. And so that the only reason it matters is because you’re asking how many years of free agency did the Dodgers buy out by by doing that when they did. Yeah. Looking at the deal, they he only was pay a lot of this too in in Dodgers fashion. Yes. A lot of this is also signing bonus and deferred. They have the money like what that means is they have the money on hand to just give you Yeah. Like the Dodgers too could overpay for Tommy Edmond, which judging by what he did last year, they vastly overpaid for Tommy Edmond. So you can look at that and just be like, “Okay, well that’s also the Dodgers, maybe we don’t go off of that.” But I would say Brennan Donovan’s still more valuable than a Tommy Edmond. And thus, if so, if we’re starting at 15 million, okay, then we’re going to go north of that. Yeah. And and so when the Cardinals signed Edmund, that was for 24-25 to buy out the final two years of his arbitration. He got traded in July of 24. So most of that had already been that 2024 season had already been, you know, established. And then at the end of the season, the Dodgers signed Edund to the extension. So they were buying out one effectively one year of arbitration for Edund, even though that had already been done through the previous extension. They tore up that prior extension. 2025 they’re like you were gonna be paid about six million bucks or so. We’re gonna, you know, we’ll lock that in and but we’ll buy out four of your free agent years. The reason that the Donnie contract at at like five and 75 is actually a com commensurate value is because there’s only three years of free agency versus the two. And so that’s I I don’t know if I’m explaining that well, but that I still think the five and 75 is a good comp because you have to consider what the car what the team would be buying out versus what they bought out with Edmond. One additional year of open market eligibility is what Edmond got in his deal. Forget the signing bonus part of it all. That’s just the arithmetic of how the Dodgers circumvent the cap that isn’t there. But there is a luxury tax to consider. Uh five and 75, five and 80 for Donovan, I think is the ballpark. Um, I could be wrong about that, but using the Edmond deal as a guide is is valuable. You just have to know the context of of what you’re doing and how you’re using it. And I don’t think that’s a crazy contract, Joe. Even if it’s five and 85, I don’t think that like blows me out of the water where I’m like, I can’t possibly afford that. I don’t think any MLB team that’s serious about winning would consider that to be just a crazy contract for a Brent Donovan right now. So, if the Cardinals can get something trade that they really like, sure, trade him. If not, I’d still think it’s val valuable and and legitimate to consider that type of extension for him. Just my two cents on it. We’ll keep digging through all of the uh hot stove stories throughout all of baseball. 29 other teams to look at right now outside of the Cardinals and see who’s interested in what the Cardinals have. And I will tell you this too, if you want to fall down a rabbit hole, if you just watch this and you’re going off of what we’re saying for this, we we talk a lot about the MLB pipeline website. Just go on there and look at like the top 30 per team. Even if I mean, it’s I’m not saying you have to study them. Look at some of the great names on there that that some of these guys have. And also look at just look at some of them like the height weight on some of them too. and you for some like you just find those monsters. But then in some cases the uh what what do I have here? The number 21 prospect in the Mariners organization 510 157 pounds. It’s pretty good. So that is a that is just I mean that’s a small guy out there playing minor league baseball working his way up to the majors. 157bs. I can’t tell you the last time I was 157bs. Uh but it’s just things like that that I enjoy looking at and scrolling through as we uh as we make our way through some of these teams and look at some of these possible deals. So, uh enjoy uh as you uh do your research on all of this as well. And again, we’ll have Mike Clayborn down at the winter meetings next week in Orlando. And if anything happens, you know that we are going to go live with our instant reaction shows right here on STL Sports Central. Until then, he’s Brendan Donovan. I’m Joe Roderick. This has been Card Central. What? What? What? You just told me Brendan Donovan. I wouldn’t let it go. I would have let it go, but I was like, you were just so into the wrap-up mode that if anybody stayed to the end for that, they got a little treat. Good grief. The amount of times that I have typed out Brendan Donovan’s name. I know. And Hayden has had to tell me you misspelled it because I spelled his name the way your name is spelled. Yeah. And he’s an a whole thing. Yep. So, I cannot wait for them to get rid of him because you know what, Brandon, I don’t know if we’re going to get the same kind of package uh in return if we were to trade you somewhere. So, or not. And when Brandon Crawford got on the team as well, it was a total mess. just a nightmare with all that going on. He is Brendan Schaefer. I’m Joe Roderick. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.

A new report from Seattle has linked the St. Louis Cardinals to a blockbuster move involving Brendan Donovan just ahead of the Winter Meetings. Joe and Brenden breakdown if St. Louis should pull the trigger on a trade that brings young starting pitching back to the Lou or if the asking price for Donovan needs to be higher.

Key Takeaways:
– Analysis of the Seattle Times report targeting Brendan Donovan
– Why George Kirby and Logan Gilbert are likely off the table
– Debating the risk vs. reward of acquiring pitcher Bryce Miller
– The intriguing “switch pitcher” prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje
Comparing Donovan’s value to the Tommy Edman contract extension

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