Brendan Donovan is on the move, and the Seattle Mariners just got themselves one of the most versatile players in the game. In a three-team deal involving the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays, Donovan heads west, bringing his Gold Glove defense, high-contact bat, and positional flexibility to a Mariners team that’s clearly pushing chips in.
But somehow, despite not being part of this trade at all, the New York Mets found themselves in the crosshairs of the conversation-thanks to a tweet from ESPN’s Jeff Passan that sparked a bit of a stir.
Passan dropped a side-by-side stat comparison between Donovan and Bo Bichette, and at first glance, it raised some eyebrows. The two players aren’t exactly cut from the same cloth.
Donovan is a Swiss Army knife-he can slot in just about anywhere on the field and give you quality at-bats near the top of the lineup. Bichette, on the other hand, is a bat-first shortstop with a lifetime .294 average and two AL hits titles to his name, but he’s also one of the least effective defenders at his position.
Still, when you zoom in on the last three seasons, the numbers tell a more nuanced story:
- Brendan Donovan (Player A): 366 games, .282/.351/.420 slash line, 117 wRC+, 7.5 fWAR
- Bo Bichette (Player B): 355 games, .291/.333/.445 slash line, 116 wRC+, 8.0 fWAR
So yes, Donovan and Bichette have been surprisingly comparable in overall value over that stretch. But here’s where it gets tricky: that three-year sample conveniently starts in 2023, just after Bichette’s standout 2022 season and includes his rough 2024 campaign, which dragged his numbers down significantly. Donovan, meanwhile, has been steady-never spectacular, but never bad either.
And that’s the point. Donovan isn’t flashy.
He’s not going to hit 30 bombs or carry a lineup for a month. But he gives you quality at-bats, gets on base, and plays wherever you need him.
That kind of player doesn’t always get headlines, but he wins games. The Mariners recognized that and paid the price in prospects to bring him in.
The Mets, meanwhile, had been linked to Donovan earlier this offseason-reportedly eyeing him as a potential left field option. He wouldn’t have cost them any prospects, just money. But they passed, and now they’re watching from the sidelines while Seattle upgrades its roster with a player who fits exactly what they needed.
As for the Bichette comparison, it’s not about saying Donovan is Bo Bichette. It’s about showing that Donovan can produce at a high level in his own way.
Sure, Bichette has more pop-he averages 24 homers per 162 games compared to Donovan’s 13-and he’s more suited for the three-hole in a lineup. Donovan’s more of a contact-first, number two hitter who gets on base and grinds out at-bats.
But when you look at total value, they’re not worlds apart.
So no, Passan wasn’t taking a shot at the Mets. He was giving the Mariners credit for a smart move.
But for Mets fans, it stings a little. Donovan was right there for the taking, and now he’s headed to the Pacific Northwest instead of Queens.
Bottom line: Seattle got better. The Mets stood pat. And in a league where every marginal upgrade matters, that can be the difference between October baseball and another long offseason.