The Seattle Mariners have spent a bit of money this winter, especially with the lineup. Josh Naylor is back, and the Mariners also signed former Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder to platoon in the outfield.
But, while the Mariners stole a great righty-bat from the Red Sox, Boston got their own form of revenge by stalling trade talks the Mariners were having with the St. Louis Cardinals.
According to Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Mariners and Cardinals were in trade talks for Brendan Donovan to the point where Seattle was reportedly a frontrunner. But the Red Sox's own trade talks put a stop to the Mariners pursuit.
Mariners-Cardinals trade talks stalled thanks to Red Sox
"Traction with Donovan appeared to be building shortly after the Winter Meetings," Woo and Sammon write, "with the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants emerging as frontrunners. However, negotiations stalled as the Contraras trade talks began to take shape."
The Wilson Contreras trade talks, which involved the Red Sox and the Cardinals, put a stop to the ongoing trade negotiations between the Mariners and the Cardinals for Donovan.
Boston was showing an interest in Donovan during those trade talks, and with St. Louis' executive Chaim Bloom focusing on the deal with Boston, the Mariners' offer went by the wayside.
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The Mariners, along with the Giants, were frontrunners for Donovan at one point. But now, with no deal close, their odds of landing the Cardinals' Gold Glove infielder coming off his first All-Star season don't look nearly as good as they did earlier this month.
Seattle will still likely pursue Donovan, and Sammon and Woo report that trade talks will begin to pick up in the next few weeks.
But now, after seeing their initial pursuit come up short, there will be some questions as to how serious Seattle will get in round-two of trade negotiations with the Cardinals this offseason.
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- Mariners sign former Red Sox, Yankees hitter with 1 special skill — Rob Refsnyder to Seattle