Mariners could blow potential SF Giants offer for Brendan Donovan out of the water

The SF Giants seem mostly set on the pitching front with their offseason additions so far given their reluctance to spend, but as they turn their attention to the lineup they may face a big obstacle if they pursue second baseman Brendan Donovan. 

The St. Louis Cardinals second baseman is highly coveted and the Cardinals know it. At one point the Giants and the Seattle Mariners were seen as the two front-runners for Donovan but those talks apparently stalled as the Cardinals traded Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox. 

If those talks pick up again and the Mariners are still involved, they may blow a potential Giants offer for Donovan out of the water.

Potential Mariners offer for Brendan Donovan would be bad news for SF Giants

Seattle is reportedly willing to move top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje in exchange for Donovan. The 22-year-old is ranked as one of the top 100 prospects in baseball and he holds a rare distinction of throwing both left-handed and right-handed on the mound. Just the idea of having a switch-pitcher is an exciting one.

The Giants have reportedly floated top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt and last year’s first-round draft pick Gavin Kilen in talks for Donovan, but it may be tough for San Francisco to compete with Seattle’s offer if Cijntje is in a deal.

Probably the only way the Giants could top that offer is if they were to include Josuar Gonzalez or Bryce Eldridge in a deal, but that would probably be way too much to give up for Donovan. 

The 28-year-old Donovan is a fine player who could be a perfect No. 2 hitter in the lineup for the Giants and would give them a contact-first bat in a lineup desperately in need of one. However, giving up Eldridge to land him is just not worth it since Eldridge’s potential ceiling is so high.

Giving up Kilen and Whisenhunt obviously comes with risks as well but they are not as highly touted as Gonzalez and Eldridge.

Of course, the Giants could decide to stand pat at second base to begin the season. Casey Schmitt did well there last season and they also have Christian Koss and Tyler Fitzgerald behind him on the depth chart just in case he struggles.

The Giants trading for Donovan would make sense, but they have to be reasonable about it. If the Mariners are willing to part with a top prospect that doesn’t mean the Giants need to up their offer and give up a player they may regret moving on from.