The speculation about a Brendan Donovan trade is arguably the most intriguing and hotly debated topic among Dodgers fans this offseason. The St. Louis Cardinals’ versatile All-Star is seen as the perfect, cost-effective target to enhance Los Angeles’ push for a historic three-peat.
The “Three-For-One Blockbuster Mock Trade” scenario, as presented by sources like Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter, involves the Dodgers using their embarrassment of pitching and infield depth to secure Donovan’s high-floor, high-versatility talents.
The Proposed Blockbuster Trade
The most circulated mock trade proposal for Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan (who is only set to make $5.75 million in 2026) is as follows:
| Dodgers Receive | Cardinals Receive (The Three-For-One Package) | Rationale |
| INF/OF Brendan Donovan | SS Emil Morales (Top-Tier SS Prospect) | A high-upside centerpiece with star potential. |
| RHP River Ryan (Near MLB-Ready Pitching) | A talented pitcher who suffered Tommy John but showed elite stuff prior. | |
| OF Kendall George (High-Upside Speed Prospect) | A flier on an athletic outfielder to round out the deal. |
Why Donovan Ignites the Debate
The debate is fierce because Donovan is not a headline-grabbing slugger, but he is the perfect Andrew Friedman target:
- Elite Versatility: Donovan is the ultimate Swiss Army Knife, having logged 100+ innings at all four infield spots and both corner outfield spots. This versatility fills the gap left by the likely departure of Enrique Hernández and protects the aging Max Muncy and the occasionally injured Tommy Edman.
- The Bat-to-Ball Skill: Donovan is a career .282/.361/.411 hitter (117 OPS+). He offers elite contact skills and on-base percentage (OBP)—skills the Dodgers covet, especially against right-handed pitching, and which perfectly complement the slugging stars like Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani.
- The Prospect Price: The debate rages over the cost. Trading three high-upside pieces, especially the highly-regarded Emil Morales, is a significant sacrifice for a player whose ceiling is seen as a “glue guy” rather than a true superstar. Fan opinions are heavily split on whether giving up River Ryan (who has a 1.33 ERA in his small MLB sample size) is worth the guaranteed, reliable production of Donovan.
Ultimately, the trade is viewed as the Dodgers converting future potential (prospects) into immediate, certain, and affordable championship-level production—a strategy that has led them to two consecutive World Series titles.
