A holiday stasis is slowly coming to an end in baseball’s Hot Stove season, and action around the infield market, in particular, could signal a much-anticipated move for the Seattle Mariners.
Less than a month before the start of spring training, the offseason dominoes are finally starting to fall into place.
Alex Bregman, the longtime Houston Astros third baseman, agreed to a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, taking one high-profile free agent off the board.
On Tuesday, another veteran third baseman, St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado, was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Those two moves could open the door for the Mariners to swing a trade for players the front office has long coveted: Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner or Cardinals super utility player Brendan Donovan.
At his price point, Bregman, 32, was never a realistic free-agent target for the Mariners, according to industry sources, but his move to Chicago does give the Cubs a surplus of infielders.
The Cubs have a promising young infielder in Matt Shaw, who posted a 3.1 WAR (Baseball Reference) season as the team’s primary third baseman last season.
They also have an established veteran in Hoerner, who led all MLB second basemen in FanGraphs WAR (4.8) last season (Baseball Reference’s metric rated him even higher, with a 6.2 WAR). Hoerner’s .297 batting average ranked second in the National League in 2025 and he’s won two Gold Gloves in the past three seasons.
Hoerner is entering the final year of his contract, scheduled to earn $12 million this season, some have speculated the Cubs might be willing to trade him now (and move Shaw to second base) before he reaches free agency next winter.
A year ago, the Mariners and Cubs had exploratory talks about Hoerner. It’s unclear how far those discussions progressed, but industry sources say the Mariners remain interested in Hoerner.
The Mariners’ top priority is still Donovan, a first-time All-Star in 2025. The Cardinals are in rebuilding mode under new team president Chaim Bloom, who has already traded away several notable veterans (Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras to Boston, and now Arenado to Arizona), and industry-wide consensus is Donovan could be next.
Donovan, in many ways, is an ideal fit for the Mariners, who like his ability to play several defensive positions. He’s primarily a second baseman, but the M’s view him as a potential option at third base (he also has some experience in the outfield).
As things stand, the Mariners plan to give three of their young infielders — Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson at third base, and Colt Young at second — the opportunity to win roster spots in spring training, but the addition of Donovan would give them a more complete lineup.
A left-handed hitter, Donovan posted a 2.7 bWAR in 2025, with 10 homers and a .287/.353/.422 (.775 OPS) slash line.
Donovan’s 13% strikeout rate in 2025 was among the lowest in MLB, and his 119 wRC+ ranked fifth among regular MLB second basemen.
Donovan, scheduled to make $5.8 million this year, has two seasons of club control remaining. He turns 29 on Friday.
The Mariners have discussed with St. Louis two of their top-10 prospects — switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and slugger Lazaro Montes — though the Cardinals’ asking price is not clear.
There appears to be stiff competition for Hoerner and Donovan. The San Francisco Giants have been “aggressive” in their pursuit of a second-base upgrade, per ESPN, and the Boston Red Sox have been linked to Donovan throughout the winter — and their need for another infielder became more pressing when they lost Bregman to the Cubs.
The Red Sox have also been linked to former Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez, an 2025 All-Star who remains a free agent.
The Mariners, sources say, are open to a reunion with Suárez, though their need for a right-handed bat isn’t as pronounced as it was before they signed veteran Rob Refsnyder to a one-year, $6.5 million deal last month.