The trade that sent utility star Brendan Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Seattle Mariners is drawing renewed scrutiny after another encouraging development from the Cardinals’ side of the deal. With top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje earning a promotion to Triple-A Memphis, the spotlight has once again shifted to whether Seattle paid too steep a price for a player who has struggled to stay healthy.
The blockbuster offseason trade was viewed as one of the Mariners’ boldest moves, as the club looked to strengthen its offense for an expected playoff run. Seattle parted with two of its top young prospects—former first-round picks Jurrangelo Cijntje and Tai Peete—while also including infielder Ben Williamson and the 68th overall draft pick in a three-team deal involving the Tampa Bay Rays to land Donovan, a versatile hitter expected to provide stability and experience to the Mariners’ lineup.
At the time, Seattle believed it was exchanging uncertain future potential for a proven major league contributor. However, the trade has become increasingly difficult to evaluate as Donovan has spent much of his first season with the Mariners sidelined by injuries, while the young players sent to St. Louis and Tampa Bay continue making significant progress.
The latest development came when the Cardinals promoted Cijntje from Double-A Springfield to Triple-A Memphis shortly after the All-Star break, placing the talented right-hander just one step away from reaching the major leagues.
Although his overall numbers at Double-A were far from dominant, St. Louis clearly saw enough improvement to accelerate his development. Across 17 starts with Springfield, Cijntje posted a 5.04 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 80⅓ innings. While those statistics suggest inconsistency, his ability to generate strikeouts remained one of the most impressive aspects of his game.
The 23-year-old struck out 100 batters during his Double-A campaign, highlighting the electric stuff that convinced Seattle to select him with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Armed with a mid-90s fastball and impressive swing-and-miss ability, Cijntje continues to display the upside of a future major league starter.
His promotion followed a particularly strong finish before the All-Star break. On July 4, he dominated opposing hitters with six scoreless innings while recording nine strikeouts. He followed that performance with another impressive outing, striking out eight batters over six innings while allowing only two runs. Those back-to-back starts produced 17 strikeouts over his final 12 Double-A innings and convinced the Cardinals he was ready for Triple-A competition.
Beyond his pitching ability, Cijntje remains one of baseball’s most unique prospects because of his rare ability to throw with both arms. Although he is naturally capable of switch-pitching, the Cardinals have primarily focused his development as a right-handed starter while continuing to refine his left-handed mechanics. The organization views his ambidextrous ability as an added bonus rather than the primary reason for his prospect status.
Cijntje currently ranks as the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals’ farm system and remains one of the organization’s most intriguing long-term pitching projects.
Meanwhile, Seattle continues waiting for the player it acquired to make an impact.
Donovan arrived with the expectation that his versatility, consistent hitting and defensive flexibility would immediately strengthen the Mariners’ lineup. Instead, injuries have prevented him from becoming the dependable contributor the organization envisioned.
The veteran has landed on the injured list twice this season because of recurring left groin issues. His latest setback occurred shortly after returning from his first injury, significantly limiting his availability throughout the first half.
Although Donovan has recently progressed to high-intensity running and was nearing game action during a rehabilitation assignment in the Arizona Complex League, he has appeared in just 25 games this season. With the regular season already beyond its midpoint, the Mariners are still waiting for him to provide the production that justified the blockbuster trade.
Adding further pressure to the deal is the continued development of another prospect Seattle surrendered.
Outfielder Tai Peete, the Mariners’ first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, enjoyed an outstanding start to the season before suffering a concussion. Prior to the injury, he was batting .272 with a .350 on-base percentage and a .528 slugging percentage through 28 games at High-A Peoria.
Peete also displayed his impressive combination of power and speed, collecting five home runs, 11 doubles, three triples and five stolen bases. One of the highlights of his season came when he completed the rare feat of hitting for the cycle in April.
Although injuries have interrupted his progress, Peete has resumed baseball activities through rehabilitation assignments, reinforcing why the Cardinals were eager to include him in the Donovan trade package.
Former Mariners prospect Ben Williamson has also made Seattle’s decision more difficult to ignore.
Now with the Tampa Bay Rays after being included in the three-team trade, Williamson recently delivered the best performance of his major league career against his former organization. In Tampa Bay’s 6-1 victory over Seattle on July 11, the infielder went 4-for-4 with an RBI double, scored a run and stole a base, repeatedly reminding the Mariners of another promising young player they sacrificed to complete the deal.
When viewed collectively, the trade continues to evolve in favor of St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
The Cardinals now possess a Triple-A pitching prospect in Cijntje who appears close to the majors, an athletic outfielder in Peete with considerable upside, and Seattle also surrendered Williamson and a valuable draft pick to complete the transaction.
The Mariners, meanwhile, continue waiting for Donovan to regain full health and establish himself as the reliable veteran presence they expected.
While it remains far too early to declare a winner or loser in the trade, every milestone achieved by Seattle’s former prospects increases the pressure on Donovan to produce once he returns. If Cijntje, Peete and Williamson continue their upward trajectory while Donovan struggles to remain on the field, questions surrounding one of the offseason’s biggest trades are likely to grow even louder as the 2026 season progresses.
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