The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired slick third baseman Ben Williamson from the Seattle Mariners as part of a three-team deal with the St. Louis Cardinals that will commonly be known as the Donovan trade:
Williamson was drafted 57th overall in 2023 after what Baseball America called a “monstrous senior season” at William & Mary. Williamson rocketed to Double-A in his first Mariners season and stayed on track by racking up 295 plate appearances for Seattle in 2025, posting a 90 wRC+ against left-handed pitching and a 70 wRC+ against righty before being demoted in August.
Like many young players the Rays have acquired lately, it’s a low-whiff/high-contact/low-power approach at the plate, but Williamson’s comes with a loud, cautious leg kick that belies a power hit.
If he can hit all the squares, it will probably work fine.
Williamson has played all but 20 games at third base in his professional career, but with Junior Caminero entrenched, it makes sense for the Rays to view this right-handed bat as more of a utility man. Will he make the decision? The 40-man is loaded with right-handed hitting options, and there was no apparent need for a backup infielder heading into this deal.
Perhaps the Rays made this deal because they were looking for a more sure-fire defensive backup, but he will need to be tested in the near term as much as Ryan Vilade was this spring.
If you’re inclined to think Joey Wendle is a successful model for a major league contributor, Williamson is a good choice, but major league comparisons to Matt Duffy while Williamson was still a prospect make me shudder.
If you’re leaning toward Joey Wendle as a companion, ‘PTBNL or cash’ would have been the outcome, but some evaluators are higher on Williamson because of his glove and malleable approach at the plate. CBS Sports’ RJ Anderson gave a 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes projection, writing, “There are worse lottery tickets.”
The cost to the Rays is the former No. 55 overall selection of Colten Ledbetter – who was selected two picks ahead of Ben Williamson in the 2023 draft – and the No. 72 overall selection in 2026. Ledbetter is a smash and grab outfielder, who swings a fast bat and is capable of stealing bases. The Rays positioned him to allow more time for reps in center field, but the Cardinals might be satisfied if he tried him out in the corners and let the bat play. Ledbetter posted a 112 wRC+ in the jump to Double-A.
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