Dodgers Might Pursue Cardinals Gold Glover As Underrated Trade Target

Los Angeles wants more depth in the infield

Apr 27, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Los Angeles Dodgers batting helmet on the field against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Could the Los Angeles Dodgers be preparing to poach away a hot-hitting infielder from the St. Louis Cardinals this summer?

The Dodgers have the most talented depth chart in Major League Baseball, so their roster doesn’t have many holes. If there is one position due for an upgrade, though, it would be second base, something that Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote about on Thursday.

“It's not a bad time (for the Dodgers) to start thinking about where the inevitable trade-deadline buying will be focused,” Miller wrote.

“The lowest hanging fruit is arguably whichever of 2B/CF is easier to upgrade, with Tommy Edman becoming fully entrenched as the starter at the other. And with several other contenders likely to be in the market for a center fielder, second base is probably the answer. … Potential Solutions: Brandon Lowe, Luis Arraez, Gleyber Torres.”

Lowe, Arraez, and Torres would all fit nicely in Los Angeles, but the Dodgers will be monitoring a bunch of potential second basemen beyond those three before July.

One under-the-radar target to keep an eye on for the defending champs is St. Louis Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan.

Donovan, 28, has been torrid at the plate to start the season. He’s leading the Cardinals in batting average (.350) and total hits (22) with a slash line of .350/.385/.517 to go along with two home runs, three doubles, and 10 RBI.

He’s also a Gold Glover from 2022.

Donovan has two more years of arbitration remaining (per Spotrac), and St. Louis fans are calling for an extension (not surprisingly, given his performance this season).

This is a guy the Cardinals should hold onto, but at the same time, he could land St. Louis a significant return at the trade deadline if floated out into the market for asset-rich contenders like the Dodgers to consider.

Donovan’s numbers are expected to diminish somewhat as the season rolls along, but his value has been noted by the entire league. No one has looked more comfortable at the plate for the Cardinals to start the year.

Donovan may not have begun the season anywhere close to the Dodgers’ trade radar, but there’s reason to believe that their front office has been discussing him of late.

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