Coming off an ALCS appearance, the Seattle Mariners haven’t made the big-time move many would assume would help the team get over the hump and into the World Series. Nonetheless, Seattle’s president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto, is being urged to make a move that can help with that.
On the Jan. 7 edition of “Foul Territory,” co-host Erik Kratz noted that Seattle need to land St. Louis Cardinals‘ utility man Brendan Donovan, who is also linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
“What do the Mariners need to eliminate that they do all the time? Strikeout; Brendan Donovan would be like a breath of fresh air in that lineup,” Kratz said. “He puts together great at-bats. He gets on base.
“So, to me, maybe the Mariners do slot him in earlier in the lineup, and so the value is more for them. I think it puts them over the top as far as a team, that their pitching stays healthy. They’ve shown what they did last year. But to me, other teams, you have to slot them in somewhere.
“Could you play second base for the Dodgers? Is Tommy Edman going to go back out to the outfield? I don’t know. There’s value there. He would be an upgrade for a lot of teams, but it’s a matter of what you want to give for him.”
Mariners Face Competition from Dodgers Brendan Donovan
On December 10, Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported, citing a league source, that Donovan remains on the Dodgers’ radar. Meanwhile, Woo reported on December 13, citing sources familiar with negotiations, that the Mariners and Giants have emerged as front-runners for Donovan.
Amid rumors linking Donovan to the Dodgers and Giants, Woo appeared on the December 15 edition of “Dodgers Territory” to shed light on the latest regarding the Cardinals‘ utility player.
“When you’re looking at how Brendan Donovan fits into the trade market, obviously, he’s been one of the most talked-about names in this offseason,” Woo said. “We saw the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants emerge as front-runners. That doesn’t mean that he’s absolutely going to Seattle or San Francisco.
“The St. Louis Cardinals could still like to keep him if they don’t like the prospect return. But those are the two that have really jumped out as really solidifying themselves and willing to, necessarily, may not overpay, but pay more than other organizations are willing to do.”
Where Do the Giants Stand on Brendan Donovan?
Amid the rumors linking the Giants to Donovan, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area weighed in on San Francisco’s pursuit of the Dodgers and Mariners’ reported trade target.
“You think of adding someone like Donovan to the core they already have and maybe trying to slug next year to see where you’re at, while hoping some of the young pitching comes along; I still don’t think that’s the way to win in San Francisco,” Pavlovic said on the December 15 edition of “Giants Talk.”
“I think Donovan makes a lot of sense to be involved in that market, and it does potentially open things up. If you have that guy at second base, it opens up your current second baseman as someone you can include in trades for pitching. There are a lot of different ways this could go.”
Mariners Get Major Trade Outlook for Dodgers, Giants-Linked Star