Revisiting Mariners' Brendan Donovan trade with Cardinals | Mariners extra
Welcome to The Seattle Times' Sunday inside baseball page, where we review the week that was on the diamond, highlight key trends with the Mariners and present our weekly MLB Power Rankings.
Stat of the Week
25
Josh Naylor stole two more bases Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, his third and fourth stolen bases of the season in his third and fourth tries. Naylor was 19 for 19 in stolen-base attempts with the Mariners last season and 2 for 2 in the playoffs, making him a perfect 25 for 25 in a Mariners uniform (despite the second-slowest sprint speed in MLB).
Ex-Mariner of the Week
Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje had a terrific first start in his debut for the St. Louis organization on April 3, allowing only one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals. Since then, though, Cijntje has been tagged for 11 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings, surrendering five home runs with 10 walks and 13 strikeouts in his last three starts.
The Mariners' 2024 first-round draft pick, Cijntje was the centerpiece of the trade to St. Louis for third baseman Brendan Donovan. Tai Peete, a 20-year-old outfielder, was another key piece going to the Cardinals, along with a competitive-round draft pick. Peete has had a productive start in his first season in the St. Louis system, posting a .246/.347/.523 slash line (.870 OPS) with three homers and five doubles in his first 65 at-bats for the High-A Peoria Chiefs.
Donovan, meanwhile, has been the Mariners' most productive hitter when healthy, posting a .304/.437/.518 slash line (.954) and a 175 OPS+ (100 is average) in his first 18 games. He has, however, been dealing with a groin strain that landed him on the 10-day injured list last week and he did not make the trip with the team to St. Louis this weekend.
To complete the Donovan trade, the Mariners pulled in their most familiar trade partner, the Tampa Bay Rays, who sent minor-league outfielder Colton Ledbetter (and a competitive-round pick) to St. Louis in exchange for Ben Williamson from Seattle. In his first 22 games for Tampa Bay, Williamson has played primarily second base, hitting .231 with a .607 OPS.
Who's Hot
After throwing a scoreless seventh inning Friday night in St. Louis and another on Saturday, Matt Brash has gone 10 1/3 innings without allowing a run to begin this season. The Mariners' right-hander has held hitters to a .100 batting average - three hits in 31 at-bats - and he has five strikeouts with two walks (one intentional) in 12 appearances.
Who's Not
Before his go-ahead, two-run single in the ninth inning on Saturday against St. Louis, Leo Rivas was in a 2-for-23 funk over the past week, with one double, one single, one RBI, six strikeouts, no walks and one hit-by-pitch.
Prospect Watch
Right-hander Brock Moore, 25, has been one of the biggest revelations of the early part of the season in the Mariners minor leagues. A 6-foot-6 reliever out of Oregon, Moore has a 16-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio on his first 6 1/3 innings for the High-A Everett AquaSox, with two hits allowed (one home run), a 2.84 ERA and four saves in four opportunities. A seventh-round pick in 2024, Moore had battled command issues early in his pro career; in 2025, he had more walks (28) than strikeouts (26) in 18 innings pitched for the AquaSox during a season cut short by injuries. He revamped his mechanics in the offseason and now is pushing for a promotion to Double-A.
https://twitter.com/MiLBMariners/status/2042098168834486646
Mariners Top 5: ‘K' Kings
As part of the M's 50th season, we'll look back each week at the team's all-time leaders in various statistical categories. This week, we list the starting pitchers with the most strikeouts as Mariners.
Total strikeouts
1. Félix Hernández, 2,524
2. Randy Johnson, 2,162
3. Jamie Moyer, 1,239
4. Mark Langston, 1,078
5. Mike Moore, 937
K per 9 innings
1. Randy Johnson, 10.53
2. James Paxton, 9.54
3. Logan Gilbert, 9.53
4. Luis Castillo, 9.20
5. Bryan Woo, 8.80
Power Rankings
MLB's definitive weekly rankings, from The Times' Adam Jude
1. Dodgers (Last week: 1)
2. Braves (2)
3. Padres (4)
4. Yankees (3)
5. Cubs (8)
6. Guardians (6)
7. Tigers (11)
8. Reds (13)
9. Pirates (10)
10. Brewers (5)
11. Rangers (7)
12. Diamondbacks (12)
13. Mariners (14)
14. Rays (20)
15. Orioles (17)
16. Marlins (18)
17. A's (23)
18. Blue Jays (15)
19. Cardinals (19)
20. Twins (16)
21. Angels (24)
22. Astros (22)
23. Red Sox (25)
24. Giants (27)
25. Nationals (28)
26. Mets (21)
27. Phillies (9)
28. White Sox (30)
29. Rockies (29)
30. Royals (26)
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