Mariners have an intimidating new challenger in Brendan Donovan trade sweepstakes

The MLB offseason has been going for long enough that it is now closer to the start of spring training than it is to the end of the World Series. That's not bad news for the Seattle Mariners, who still have time to make one more move before they declare their roster complete.

To this end, Brendan Donovan continues to be front and center in their section of the rumor mill.

The Mariners aren't looking to subtract from their major league roster to get him, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, but that is unlikely to be a deal-breaker for the St. Louis Cardinals. They're in the early stages of a rebuild under Chaim Bloom, who reportedly has eyes on two Mariners prospects: Lazaro Montes and Jurrangelo Cijntje.

Mariners have a new challenger in Brendan Donovan sweepstakes

The problem with Donovan, though, is that he checks all the boxes for a guy who would have a crowded market. He's a versatile defender with a dependable left-handed bat, a modest projected salary for 2026, and another year of club control in 2027.

The San Francisco Giants are reportedly another one of his main pursuers, and it seems the Boston Red Sox are in as well. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports that they're still looking for infielders after adding Willson Contreras, and that Donovan is one of their "primary targets."

Great. Just great. The Mariners seemed done with having to compete with Boston after the Contreras trade took them out on Ketel Marte, but apparently not. And this is a problem. Like, a real one.

If the Red Sox have one advantage on Seattle in the Donovan sweepstakes, it's familiarity with Bloom and what he wants. The two clubs have already hooked up on trades for Contreras and Sonny Gray, and Bloom has used those two deals to reunite with one player he drafted when he was running the Red Sox.

If the Red Sox have another advantage, it's that they still have a strong farm system that still features some guys who were drafted or signed under Bloom. Those include lefty Connelly Early, shortstop Franklin Arias and infielder Mikey Romero. Heck, you wonder if even Kristian Campbell could be in play, given his uncertain place in the Red Sox's plans.

With a lot more than just Montes and Cijntje in their own farm system, the Mariners can hypothetically match any offer the Red Sox make for Donovan. But this is an "on paper" notion, as Bloom's familiarity with Boston's talent is potentially an ace in the hole for the Red Sox.

Missing out on Jorge Polanco was bad, but the Mariners failing to acquire Donovan might feel even worse if it happens. At least with Polanco, there's the inkling that he left Seattle because the New York Mets overpaid for him. If it's the Red Sox who score Donovan, the impact will be of the Mariners losing a fight they could have (and perhaps should have) won.