Astros rival just pulled off Cardinals' All-Star trade Houston wish they made

The Houston Astros were linked to St. Louis Cardinals' All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan throughout the offseason, but the question was how the Astros would construct an offer enticing enough for the Cardinals to make the deal. The Astros don't exactly have the strongest farm systems, and it's a large reason why Donovan is headed to the Seattle Mariners.

Beyond the pain of the Astros not landing Donovan, his arrival in Seattle is one of the worst possible outcomes. The Astros were already entering spring training trying to catch up to the Mariners, and the gap has only gotten wider with the arrival of the All-Star infielder.

The AL West hasn't exactly trended in the Astros' favor this offseason. The Mariners were a game away from reaching the World Series last year, and they are entering the season as one of the true contenders in the American League.

The Rangers nearly caught up to the Astros by the end of the 2025 season, and the trade for MacKenzie Gore highlighted their offseason. If the Rangers can stay healthy, they could be a true threat, but staying healthy has been at the center of their failures in recent years.

The Athletics feel like a sleeping giant, though expecting them to wake up in 2026 might be a year too early. The Los Angeles Angels are, well, still the Angels.

Mariners land Brendan Donovan in move that exposes the Astros' offseason

The Astros have had a fine offseason, but it's predicated on Tatsuya Imai reaching the higher end of his projections. Outside of Imai, the team has a misguided hope that players staying healthy is all that they need. Houston needed something to change that impression, and instead, it feels like they have set the stage to be one of baseball's biggest disappointments this season.

Donovan would have been an ideal fit for Houston this offseason. Hitting from the left side of the plate, he would have provided the Astros' starting lineup with the balance they desperately need. The problem is that the Cardinals have been obsessed with stockpiling pitching prospects this offseason. Along those lines, the Astros are thin on pitching prospects as it is, and certainly don't have one with the ceiling that Jurrangelo Cijntje has.

Perhaps the Astros find value in a potential trade of Isaac Paredes, but between their poor farm system and lack of payroll space, they are forced to sit on the sidelines while teams in their own division make larger moves.