MLB Rumors: Dodgers Predicted To Land Coveted Trade Target

December 04, 2025 ,
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walks onto the field during 2025 game.

Brendan Donovan looks more and more like the next All Star who could be on the move as the St. Louis Cardinals lean into a real reset. 

With Sonny Gray already shipped to the Boston Red Sox and Nolan Arenado sitting in nonstop rumor cycles, Donovan has emerged as arguably the most attractive trade chip on the roster. 

That naturally puts the Los Angeles Dodgers right in the middle of the conversation, because if there is a versatile, underpaid winner on the market, they are usually calling.

Why Brendan Donovan is built for the Dodgers

For years, the Dodgers squeezed huge value out of players like Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez, using their bats and defensive versatility to plug almost any hole on the field. Donovan fits that template almost perfectly. 

He made his first All Star Game in 2025 while playing primarily second base, but he already owns at least 100 career innings at all four infield spots and both corner outfield positions. At the plate he is a career .282 hitter with on base skills and gap power.

Financially, he is a dream fit for a contender. Donovan is projected to earn around five to six million dollars in 2026 and is under club control through 2027. 

That is two seasons of a steady three win player at a bargain price on a team that already carries some of the biggest contracts in baseball. For the Dodgers, he checks every box. He can start at second base, cover third on rest days, spell an outfielder, and give Dave Roberts a high contact left handed bat who can hit near the top or in the middle of the order without changing the club’s luxury tax math.

What a Cardinals Dodgers trade could look like

Because of all that value, the Cardinals would not move Donovan cheaply. Mock trades from multiple outlets all paint a similar picture. 

Any Dodgers package would start with at least one blue chip young player and be supported by upside arms. One concept has shortstop prospect Emil Morales, right hander River Ryan, and outfielder Kendall George heading to St. Louis. 

Morales just hit over .300 with power in his stateside debut and is tracking toward top fifty prospect status, while Ryan and George bring near term pitching help and elite speed.

Another proposal has catcher and outfielder Dalton Rushing headlining, bringing a middle of the order bat who could eventually allow the Cardinals to rethink how they use Willson Contreras. 

Left handers Justin Wrobleski and Ronan Kopp would round out the deal, with Wrobleski offering rotation depth now and Kopp adding the kind of high octane stuff St. Louis has struggled to grow internally. 

The Dodgers would be paying for two affordable prime years of an All Star caliber Swiss Army knife, while the Cardinals would be banking on multiple pieces of their next core.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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