Mariners should ramp up pressure campaign on Cardinals after Red Sox trades

If you’re a Seattle Mariners fan watching the St. Louis Cardinals operate this winter, you’ve probably had the same thought twice now: Oh cool, they only answer the phone when Boston calls.

First it was Sonny Gray heading to the Red Sox, and now St. Louis has shipped Willson Contreras to Boston in another salary-shedding move that keeps the “Cardinals-to-Red Sox pipeline” annoyingly warm. 

Mariners should pounce as the Cardinals’ next move becomes obvious

And here’s the part that should matter in Seattle: this isn’t random. It looks a lot like Chaim Bloom doing the early-stage cleanup job in St. Louis — moving money, re-shaping the roster, and opening lanes for the next wave. Will Leitch of MLB.com basically spelled it out: dealing Gray and Contreras has been at the top of the winter to-do list, and getting those boxes checked is a sign the brush is still being cleared. 

Which means the next part is coming fast. And that’s where the Mariners need to stop spectating and start leaning on the door.

Brendan Donovan is the cleanest fit for the Mariners, especially in terms of "urgency.” He’s the type of player the Mariners try to manufacture themselves: on-base ability, contact ability, defensive flexibility, and the annoying tendency to make pitchers throw one more stressful pitch per at-bat. If the Cardinals are indeed starting their process of "re-tooling", or a "soft-reset", or whatever euphemism they're using to make people think this is all okay, Donovan would be the perfect piece to trade for something that has real value.

The timing also works out well for the Mariners. There has been no subtlety in the reporting about who is seriously interested in Donovan. The Mariners and Giants have been identified as the two serious parties. In addition, MLB.com stated that Seattle's discussions with St. Louis has been "more propelled" as of late. Additionally, the Giants aren't typically a team that comes into trade talks simply to view the interior design. Since Buster Posey took over as the President of Baseball Operations, the Giants have become as aggressive as it gets. 

So this is the opportunity for Jerry Dipoto to turn “interest” into “fine, here’s the offer you can’t ignore.” Not reckless. Not “empty the farm.” Just decisive — before the Cardinals finish their Red Sox paperwork and decide the easiest way to keep moving is to create a second pipeline… this time straight to San Francisco.