The Mariners have a Brendan Donovan compatibility problem looming in 2027

Fans and the front office had high hopes for Brendan Donovan once he got to Seattle. He had been a consistently strong hitter for four seasons with the Cardinals and after years of underwhelming corner infield production, having him man the hot corner seemed like a significant upgrade.

For the first month of the season, he proved his supporters correct. He posted a .954 OPS with three doubles and three home runs in his first month as a Mariner, and looked like he was going to be one of the best hitters in the lineup. Unfortunately, what seemed like a minor groin strain ended up being a recurring injury, leading to two IL stints. After going MIA for a significant portion of the year and dealing with a concussion, Donovan ended his first year in Seattle with just 159 plate appearances.

For now, he's listed as the team's starting third baseman, but if the Mariners want to return to the playoffs, where does he really fit?

After a complicated start to his Mariners career, Brendan Donovan's future role seems uncertain

Even if Donovan had remained healthy, something even his limited time on the field made apparent was that his fielding at third base isn't the best. He accumulated -4 Defensive Runs Saved in just over 300 innings. On a rate basis, he would've been one of the worst defensive third basemen in MLB. His injury may have negatively affected his range, but his average arm strength didn't make his job any easier. He made six errors, four of which were throwing.

When playing in the infield with St. Louis, he has primarily played second base which seems to be more of a natural fit for him. However, the Mariners already have a second baseman in Cole Young and he's pretty darn good at the position. Aside from the fact that he's a homegrown talent, something Seattle prefers for position players, Young will be cheaper for longer, further decreasing the likelihood that he'd be usurped by Donovan.

Donovan has also spent quite a bit of time in the outfield in the big leagues and luckily for him, both positions in the corners have recently opened up. But with his lower half injuries cutting his sprint speed down to the 13th percentile, his range may only be worse with more ground to cover and the arm (or more specifically lack thereof) would make him unviable in right field.

At the plate was where he got his best work done but even that left some open questions by the end of the season. In the 88 plate appearances he made from May 1st onward, he posted a wRC+ of just 92 with no home runs. Additionally, he's a left-handed bat, something Seattle hardly needs more of, especially if they're not going to be hitting above league-average. He could serve as a designated hitter, but that spot is currently occupied by Dominic Canzone who simply posted better numbers over a much larger sample size.

Seattle is still in the early days of the offseason, making small waiver claims and starting to trim down on some of the excess on the roster. Donovan doesn't quite qualify as a clear and obvious redundancy yet but he's getting close. As Seattle gets closer to finalizing their roster for next year, they'll need to find a spot for him on their team or someone else's.

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