Breaking we just got Donovan!

[D-train]

So long as he doesn't turn into Jeff Cirillo, Scott Spezio or Chone Figgins at T-Mobile..... I feel relieved. M's give away Williamson, Tai Peete, JurAngelo Cijunte, and a comp 3 pick,....forgive spelling please.... anyway, it feels good. Plenty of ramp for Cole Young and Colt Emerson....we gave up nothing of our "untouchables", need to find a little more power, but maybe it will develop.... and we can watch Arroyo, Montes, Stephenson, Farmelo, Celestin,etc, Sloan and Anderson continue to develop as prospects. Lots to watch this year....Donovan is a fringe all star who provides a solid lead off player and tremendous versatility in the field (2nd, 3rd, SS, LF, RF). He's likely a 115-125 War, generally affordable for two years and he blocks no one. Let's go to war with this roster....

Donovan is very consistent year to year and he is elite (or near elite) in contact/on base skills. A low OBP would be truly bizarre and inexplicable for him. TMobile is usually a lot more unkind to hitters who sell out for power (like Geno). Also the Mariners lineup has suffered a lot in recent years from poor builds and hitting philosophy as much as the home park factor. I”m not saying it isn’t a thing, but I think we’re starting to see that you can offset it with a tweak in approach and that there are types of hitters who’s skillset is better suited for the park (Josh Naylor for instance). Brendan Donovan has a perfect profile for TMobile, and the Mariners have targeted him very specifically because of that. Not to mention the fact that he solves a bunch of questions and problems for us defensively over the next 2 years.

Excellent Assessment!

[Donn Beach]

If Emerson lives up to the hype, that would certainly help

[bpj]

Consider how well he hits righties though and 3/4 of pitchers are righties. Also consider how remarkably consistent he is as opposed to JP.

He's remarkably consistent at hitting just like JP. Slightly more power, on paper, except he plays in St. Louis, not Seattle.

Guess we'll see.

I'm expecting a lot of disappointment as people realize we just swapped in another JP.

Which, hey, it is better than Ben Williamson as our 2026 starter..

Unfortunately, having BW as the primary option was malpractice to begin with, so it falls pretty flat.

Do you think alvarez would have been a better option?

Are you meaning Suarez?

I think there's a decent chance they'd have similar OPS in 2026 with the Mariners.

And we gave up 3 players to get Donovan, instead of just cash for Geno. That's the big difference (and the problem) imo.

[Donn Beach]

No I meant Louis Alvarez, the giants were supposedly the main competitors for Donovan, they turned to Alvarez

[Sexymarinersfan]

I don't get the excitement man.

I watched his highlight reel. Brought another guy to mind. One that most don't seem thrilled with.

Put this guy (and his .614 OPS vs lefties in 2025) in T-Mobile, and he's J.P Crawford v2.0.

Last year, and last 3 years numbers:

They still need another bat. Donovan is a high on base guy. He's perfect for the top of a lineup. But they need another big hitter.

They are done and there are no big hitters left.

I agree, I think they are done too. It still doesn't negate the fact that we need another big bat.

[bpj]

Geno+Williamson+Peete+Cjintje >>>> Brendan Donovan

And Geno wouldn't even have been my pick.

I'd have gotten a guy that cost the team that signed him $5M (Moncada) to put ahead of Williamson, not Geno.

[bpj]

No I meant Louis Alvarez, the giants were supposedly the main competitors for Donovan, they turned to Alvarez

Luis Arraez would've been a DH, backing up at 1B, and backing up the backup at 2B. Not a 3B.

As far as bats go? Yeah, id have taken Arraez over Donovan in a heartbeat.

Cost zero prospects, just cash. Easy call.

[Sexymarinersfan]

I don't know about polanco but dipoto has been saving bullets for the deadline lately. I think he's put together a pretty complete lineup, I'm impressed and he could add on later.

We are definitely in better shape than last Spring. They still have plenty of ammo to do something during the deadline or mid-season.

[bpj]

Would anyone be happy we traded next years first round draft pick for Donovan instead of last years?

People just see Cjintje as a circus act failure already so they don't care about losing him.

No chance I'd trade any first rounder for JP Crawfords bat.

But here we are...

Gave up a first rounder, plus two other players...

But, hey, at least they saved a few mil on paying for a guy like Arraez or Geno. I'm sure they'll reinvest those dollars wisely. Lol.

[Donn Beach]

Would anyone be happy we traded next years first round draft pick for Donovan instead of last years?

People just see Cjintje as a circus act failure already so they don't care about losing him.

No chance I'd trade any first rounder for JP Crawfords bat.

But here we are...

I think it be a mistake to consider Cjintje as some sort of throw away. They traded a top 100 prospect for Donovan, that's what he is. Dipoto got away with not trading a premium prospect. Next seasons draft pick, hopefully is going to be pretty low. I think it could be less valuable than Cjintje who went 15th in the draft and has actually been progressing pretty well