photo: Jurrangelo Cijntje (Arkansas Travelers)
In return for All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan, the St. Louis Cardinals received three minor leaguers and two 2026 draft selections. St. Louis’ headliner is right-hander Jurrangelo Cijntje.
St. Louis Cardinals release
We have completed the following trade with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays: pic.twitter.com/Ue134ZuoWA
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) February 3, 2026
The St. Louis Cardinals announced this evening (Monday, February 2) that they have completed a three-team trade with the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, acquiring RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, OF Tai Peete, OF Colton Ledbetter and two Compensation Round B Draft Selections, one from each team, in exchange for All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan.
“We are pleased that, because of this deal, we will add five more promising young players to the talent pipeline that has always fueled this organization’s sustained success,” stated Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. “We believe we’ve added exciting athleticism and upside on both sides of the ball, with more to come in this summer’s draft.
All of us here are so grateful for Brendan’s contributions to the Cardinals and to our community, which will last well beyond his time here. He is first class as both a player and a person, and that combination is rare. We wish him and his wonderful family well.”
Jurrangelo Cijntje (jurr-ANN-jel-oh SAIN-jah), 22, was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners as an ambidextrous pitcher in the first round (15th overall) out of Mississippi State University in the 2024 MLB Draft. Born in Gravenhage, Netherlands, Cijntje was ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America entering the 2026 season. He posted a 5-7 record with a 3.99 ERA over 26 appearances, making 23 starts while advancing as high as Double-A Arkansas with the Mariners in his first professional season. Cijntje played for Curacao in the 2016 Little League World Series and his father, Mechangelo, played professionally as a catcher in the Netherlands.
Tai Peete, 20, the Mariners first round draft pick (30th overall) in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian School in Georgia, entered the 2026 season as the No. 10 prospect in the Mariners organization by Baseball America. The 6-foot-2, 193-pound, left-handed slugger walloped 19 home runs and drove in 63 over 125 games with High-A Everett in 2025.
Peete began his professional career with the Mariners in the Arizona Complex League before being promoted to the California League after 10 games as a 17-year-old. He has compiled a .247 batting average with 28 home runs, 154 RBI, 76 stolen bases, 54 doubles and 14 triples through his first 265 professional games. Peete carries defensive experience in the outfield and infield with 144 games primarily in centerfield, 24 games at third base and five at second base.
Colton Ledbetter, 24, was the Tampa Bay Rays 2nd round (55th overall) selection in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State University. The left-handed batting outfielder advanced to Double-A Montgomery by his third professional season compiling a .269 batting average with 25 home runs, 126 RBI and 74 stolen bases in 94 attempts through his first 253 games. He has posted back-to-back seasons with 30 or more stolen bases and led Bowling Green (A) in stolen bases in 2024.
Cijntje and Ledbetter were teammates on the Mississippi State baseball team during the 2023 season.
The two Compensation Round B draft selections the Cardinals will receive from both the Mariners and the Rays are currently projected as picks No. 68 and 72 in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Donovan, 29, was drafted by the Cardinals in 2018 and played four seasons (2022-25) with St. Louis, earning his first National League All-Star selection in 2025. Donovan earned a Rawlings Gold Glove Award in 2022 as a utility player and was a Gold Glove finalist in 2024. In 2025, Donovan was a Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award finalist among N.L. utility players, an award that was won by the Cardinals Alec Burleson.
Brian Walton’s initial take
The Cardinals lost a true team leader in Donovan, but they had signaled their intention long ago. It seems the strategy was to wait to make the deal until their asking price was met.
While multiple Top 100 prospects would be ideal, the overall take the Cardinals received seems fair. One way to characterize it is that the Cardinals received a former first round draft pick, a Competitive Balance A pick, a former second rounder and two future picks in the top 72 in 2026 for the two final arbitration years of Donovan.
On paper, that is a tremendous haul. But not all those former early picks are sure future MLB contributors.
The best is Cijntje, who has received a lot of notoriety over the last decade for his switch-pitching. However, due to his greater effectiveness from the right side, the Mariners already disclosed their plan to limit him to throwing righty in 2026. We will see if the Cardinals follow through with that.
Update
In a media Zoom meeting late Tuesday morning, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom told us that his group would likely continue the Mariners’ plan to still have Cijntje pitch from the left side in practice. He also noted the player wants to continue to be a switch-pitcher. The Cardinals want to get to know him first before setting a specific plan with him.
Cijntje is a borderline Top 100 prospect in baseball. According to MLB Pipeline, he was ranked 90th last year and 91st currently. However, the 5-foot-11, 200 pounder did not make Baseball America’s list to open either 2025 or 2026. Cijntje did debut on BA’s national in-season ranking update at no. 100 in April 2025 but was back off the list by the end of the season.
Peete is a former high school shortstop signed as Seattle’s Competitive Balance A selection in 2024, and was later moved to center field. While the power potential is there, strikeouts have been a problem. Peete logged a K rate of over 30% in each of the last two seasons; granted they were at ages 18 and 19.
Ledbetter hasn’t yet lived up to his power potential, which will be key if the right-fielder is to make it in the majors. He did not place on BA’s Rays Top 30 the last two years, but Ledbetter was Tampa Bay’s no. 16 prospect in 2025 per Pipeline.
From this trade, I think I am most excited about the pair of Compensation picks, which will give St. Louis six selections in the top 86 in this June’s draft. The no. 68 overall comes from Seattle and the no. 72 was Tampa Bay’s.
As of now, the 40-man roster is at 39 players.
What is next
Much more commentary on this trade is coming just ahead on our Wednesday With Walton and Reis podcast, including where the new arrivals fit on our Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List.
Stay tuned!
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