On Sunday afternoon, former Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds, returning to a place he previously played and ending the idea of another reunion between Suarez and the M’s.

I’ve maintained all offseason that bringing back Suarez was a clunky fit, though I recently said on the ‘Refuse to Lose‘ podcast that if the price was right, I would sign first and ask questions later.

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Well, with Suarez off the board, it seems like the Mariners are down to just one real big possible offseason move left, and that’s acquiring the much talked about Brendan Donovan in a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

But signing Donovan is also a bit of a clunky fit, so how would it work? Let’s dive in.

Now 29 years old, Donovan is a four-year veteran of the Cardinals. He hit .287 in 2025 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs while posting a .353 on-base percentage and a 119 OPS+. He was also named an All-Star for the first time in his career and was a finalist for the Silver Slugger. He’s a career .282 hitter who had only a 13.0 percent strikeout rate last season, something the M’s are hoping to improve upon in 2026.

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He has two years left of team control and can play all over the diamond. He spent 100 games at second base, 18 in left field, six at shortstop and two at designated hitter.

The Mariners have stated over and over again that they want to provide runway for their younger players to get experience. That means Cole Young, Colt Emerson and Ben Williamson.

It’s possible that the M’s try to teach Donovan third base and utilize him there until Emerson is ready while keeping Young at second. It’s possible that Donovan serves as a primary DH against right-handed pitchers with Dominic Canzone going to right field, making Luke Raley expendable. It’s possible that he plays second base, giving Young more time to mature in Triple-A and figuring out where to play him as the season evolves. It’s possible that they keep as many of these roster redundancies as they can and just rotate guys around, giving them enough playing time but also some rest.

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It’s also possible that Donovan plays some left field, giving Randy Arozarena more time at designated hitter.

One way or the other, it seems like if Donovan is here, either Young or the group of four outfielders cannot all be on the Opening Day roster, unless Donovan plays third base.

Of course, injuries in spring training can iron out some of the problems, but the M’s need to acquire Donovan first.

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