A few fans have been promoting Donovan of the Cardinals as a fit for the Dodgers. I did not see it… until now! I have concluded that he is a poor man’s Bo Bichette. He hit .287 last year, and his career average is .282, so he’s a good hitter with a career OPS of .775. He would slot nicely at 2B and in the bottom third of the lineup. I would not trade for a utilityman – He is not going to play LF… Teoscar has to move there. He doesn’t have the arm for 3B or RF, so 2B it is.
Donovan is a plus defender overall because of his instincts, versatility, and positioning awareness, but at second base specifically, he grades as solid to slightly above-average, depending on the metric. He’s not a freak athlete, but he is steady, reliable, and mistake-free.
Key Strengths
1. Excellent Baseball IQ & Positioning
- One of his best tools is his instincts—he reads balls well, positions himself correctly, and rarely makes mental mistakes.
- His defensive reputation in St. Louis was built on being where the ball is supposed to be.
2. Soft Hands
- Quick, clean transfers.
- Turns double plays well.
- Rarely boots routine plays.
3. Versatility
- Has logged MLB innings at 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, RF.
- That flexibility is itself a plus, but at 2B it helps him adapt to shifts and unusual alignments.
Key Weaknesses
1. Average Range
- Range is fine, but not standout.
- Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and OAA both reflect that he gets to most routine balls, but doesn’t expand his zone like elite defenders.
2. Arm Strength Is Only Average
- Not an issue at 2B, but it caps his value at SS or deep-range positions.
I’m on the Donovan Bandwagon. Bo Bichette is going to cost too much and likely will stay in Toronto. The question is, what does he cost? Well, Hyeseong Kim would have to be part of the deal, and St. Louis might be persuaded to take Jackson Ferris and someone like Landon Knack. Just an idea… don’t shoot the messenger! Another website suggested that the Dodgers trade Rushing, Wrobleski, and Kopp for him… Uh, NO! That’s felony stupid! Maybe Kopp.
I am still all in on Duran or Abreu!
Astros making Jake Myers available for rotation help. Solid CF who is a contact hitter.
Last year was Meyers’ career year.
His career OPS is .678.
You can’t use the word “hitter” in a sentence with his name.
You don’t hit .292 unless you make contact. Maybe he found something last year. His defense is superior.
Is he s better defender than Kim? Not from the statistics I seem. Why trade a better fielder with 3 Years left on his contract and who hit .281 in a short sample?
Kim is a better 2B… he’s elite (defensively), but while he hit .280, his OPS was .699. He’s a Punch & Judy Hitter!
Donovan is a WAY better hitter, but he is below average defensively everywhere but 2B!
Donovan is a good target… but Kim had a solid rookie season and figures to improve with more opportunities. Roberts platooned him a bit, even though he had reverse splits. The Dodgers still need to figure out what they have in Kim.
Anyway, I don’t see AF trading Kim now. If the Cards need a UT guy back, why not Freeland?
Something else I noticed: The Cards lack power, and so Ryan Ward might be a good sweetener in a deal. But mostly they need pitching. So….
–Ferris or Wrobleski (or ???)
–Freeland
–Ward
The Cards, historically, have loved speed. A guy like Kendall George might have more value to Cards management than LA brass, especially given the glut of OF talent.
Do the Cards have a decent catching prospect they could toss back?
i have been on the Donovan train for several weeks now. he fits perfectly into what the dodgers love. Versatility! he can play all 4 infield positions plus some outfield too. With him Kike is a little less of a priority. At least until he heals up. Then maybe they trade Call. The Cardinals want to rebuild. Let’s help them get started!
Remembering how much of a pest Ernie Clement was in the World Series, could Brendan Donovan do the same for us? When the top of the order comes up, it would be nice to have people on base ahead of them. Donovan had a strong year at the plate:
On-Base Percentage (OBP): .353
OPS+ (adjusted for park and league): 119, which is well above league average (100). [baseball-r…erence.com]
Strikeout Rate (K%): 13.0% → 92nd percentile (excellent)
Walk Rate (BB%): 8.2% → 50th percentile (average)
Whiff Rate (Swing & Miss): 13.4% → 95th percentile (elite contact ability).
Excellent point!
I don’t think that the Dodgers have a glaring need at 2B – some combo of Edman, Kim, and Rojas (if they bring him back) will do nicely.
They need a CF (or RF if they keep Pages in CF). They should focus on getting an OF.
I agree that they need another outfielder like Duran or Abreu.
But Eric Turner made a great point above.
Edman had a .656 OPS
Kim had a .699 OPS
Rojas had a .715 OPS.
None struck terror into the heart of pitchers. The Dodgers don’t need another superstar! They need a couple of good role players.
Kim had no at-bats in the playoffs last year. Why? I think we all know why!
Eric Turner mentioned Ernie Clement, but Donovan is better than Clement!
Kim, Edman and Rojas are all defensive players. Utilitymen.
They obviously think Edman is that guy or they wouldn’t have severely overpaid him with a completely unnecessary contract extension that is already looking like Chris Taylor 2.0
How about trading Landon Knack, Bobby Miller and Will Klein for Donavan and a low level pitcher ? I don’t see a fit for any of those 3 pitchers making the 26 man roster. Also frees up three roster spots. I’m also all in for Jarren Duran. I wouldn’t want to… but, would give up maybe Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and two of either Kyle Freeland, Ryan Ward or Zyhir Hope. Like an earlier comment.. You trade guys cause it hurts so you can get quality back. My wish is to sign Devin Williams.
Probably not enugh but I like the thought process.
He’s arb-eligible for two years, which is actually kinda perfect.
Here’s a wild guess at a package we might be willing to pay and they might be tempted to accept:
Freeland, Casparius & Hurt
So, give them our cast-offs for a very good player?
They won’t fall for it!
they probably will pursue an outfielder, but that doesn’t exclude them pursuing Donovan. It looks like the price for Tucker is dropping. If it gets in the 350 range, the Dodgers will be in play. But I like the thoughts of Duran playing out there. Teo N left, pages in center ( or duran) and duran in right (or pages).
So I see the knock on Kim is that he is a ‘punch and Judy ‘ hitter. Ok but we don’t need someone like Mookie or Max at every position. He is under team control, why trade for someone new??
The same reason the Dodgers never let him hit in the playoffs.
He’s great with a glove in his hand.
Not so great with a bat in his hands.
Ah, the Book of Moron steps forward to give young Mr. Kim the Outman treatment…
Ahem.
The reason Roberts didn’t have Kim, a rookie, hit in the playoffs is simply that he believed he had better options in Edman, Rojas and Kike. Roberts has always favored veterans (cough, Conforto) and that was to the detriment of Kim’s development during the season.
Kim only had 161 ABs as a rookie. Statistically, his slash line of .280/.314/.699 was pretty close to Miggy’s .262/.318/.715 over 290 ABs. Miggy was a bit better, but both were in that “league-average” ballpark.
(Should I mention that Miguel Vargas batted .195 as a rookie? Oops–just did. Sometimes it seemed like Mark’s secret son lacked both a bat and glove. But I digress.)
Also worth notingg: Kim had 13 stolen bases, to Miggy’s 5. With 500 ABs, Kim would have been on pace for 40+ steals.)
Like a lot of players, Kim struck out too much and didn’t walk enough. But here is what’s really odd: Roberts didn’t like to use Kim against southpaws–even though, in a small sample, he crushed them.
In 18 at bats, Kim slashed .381/.381/.952. Eight hits, including a double and a homer.
In fact, the only Dodger to have a higher OPS against lefties was….
Nobody.
Shohei came second at .898, and Rojas was third at .879. Obviously Rojas got a lot ABs against southpaws that Kim might have had, but it’s not as though Kim had terrible ABs in that small sample.
The point is that Kim didn’t suck as badly as the Book of Moron suggests. His OPS was of course higher that Conforto’s and Rushing’s–but also Edman’s and Kike’s as well.
I hope that the Dodgers give Kim every opportunity to prove himself at 2B. He’s got Gold Glove potential, and if he doesn’t play, he won’t have a chance to work out the flaws in this offense.
Great points Duke. Thanks. Plus Kim has solid play up the middle and any OF slot with his speed and arm.with 500+ at bats, I see a solid year for him. Bret Butler was a “Punch and Judy” hitter, but gave the Dodgers solid years in CF, without Kim’s speed or arm. Maybe I just feel we need a few banjo hitters to give the bangers someone to drive in.
Brett Butler had a career .753 OPS.
He was not a Punch and Judy hitter.
In fact, he had several years with OPS over .800.
Kim’s OPS was .699 = Punch & Judy!
I just called it like I saw it with Outman: That he had a huge hole in his swing! I am surprised it took almost a year to figure it out. I wouldn’t be pumping my chest on that one. I mean, he hit .134 last year. Miggy Vargas hit 100 points higher and OPS’ed over .700.
Want to make a bet on who does the best in 2026… or maybe who is still in MLB in 2026?
Outman did not pass the eye test.
I am not impressed with Kim’s bat, and I hope I am wrong.
Donovan is a proven hitter. a solid defensive player. The kind of hitter that lineup needs. If Kim is there, he would be a great bench piece.
Count me in on Donovan. 361 career OBP. Trade cost would be significant but not as costly as the salary Tucker will command. We were able to hide some very bad hitting droughts this postseason. Donovan could help cut down the odds of that happening again.
BANG!
The problem with Donovan is best summarized by Ardaya in a recent article:
“When it comes to the bat, my sense is the team is looking for at least a carrying trait that they can bank on. They hoped it would be Michael Conforto’s bat. Harrison Bader’s trait would be his glove. Donovan’s is his competence at multiple positions to go with a quality bat.”
Not sure that flies given Edman and Kim already here and not going anywhere.
But I’m wrong A LOT.
I can see Kim being moved.
When was the last time the Dodgers moved a young player with term at a value low point?
Per Feinsand:
Devin Williams Mets deal: $45M for 3 years. $5M per deferred for 11/20 years with $6M bonus prorated equal over 3 yrs
When was the last time the Dodgers moved a young player with term at a value low point?
Michael Busch!
False and obviously false.
Ok, Explain!
#1: Busch’s final season in AAA was:
98 games for Triple-A Oklahoma City where Busch hit .323 with 27 homers, 26 doubles and 90 RBIs. His .618 slugging percentage ranked fourth among all qualified Minor League batters, while his 1.049 OPS ranked seventh.
#2: Busch was the Cubs starting first basemen OPENING Day after the trade.
#3: Busch went for Hope and Ferris.
#4 Busch was under ANY team control until 2029.
I think you meant to intone that Busch’s value was suppressed because he was positionally limited and blocked by two future HOFers. Or you meant that his value wasn’t at it’s apex. Both are true, but his value wasn’t anywhere near its low point.
The closest example would, of course, be Cartaya. But he had little to no term left and was on the 40. He had to be traded.
Do you think Kim has a high trade value?
I dunno. Tough one.
I feel another year in the Dodgers development system could increase it, but I’ve always felt that he needed significant improvement with the bat for him to be a viable component. Dodgers are quite good at development, but that doesn’t mean it’ll work optimally for everyone.
Two reasons why I doubt that:
–He played well as a rookie, and the Dodgers are still trying to figure out how good he can be. To his credit, Kim was disappointed in his own performance and is motivated to improve. But he hasn’t really received a full opportunity to succeed or fail.
–The Dodgers seem to be careful in handling their imports from Asia. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can’t recall the team trading a recruit from Japan or Korea after a single season. The Dodgers organization has a great reputation in Asia so how they handle players matter–and makes other talented players want to become Dodgers. In contrast, the Dodgers may quickly flip domestic and Latin American players; it’s just an accepted reality.
Devin Williams just signed a 3-year deal with the Mets.
Smart – Let Diaz walk.
My opinion is that the Dodgers do not need to sign a closer.
If Scott can’t cut it:
Henriquez
Hurt
Ryan
Graterol
Vesia
Klein
Miller
Wrobleski
Casparius
Sasaki
… they just need one.
Come on home, Kenley….
He was terrific for the Angels.
Try this lineup:
1. Ohtani DH
2. Betts SS
3. Freeman 1B
4. Smith C
5. Muncy 3B
6. Pages RF
7. Duran CF
8. Teoscar LF
9. Donovan 2B
OMG! I think you would quit seeing nights when nobody scores!
Smokin hot
Very possible.
This is not that much different than the lineup that struggled throughout the playoffs except now we have the guy who had 1 hit the entire postseason moving from 9th to 6th.
I’d have Teo and Pages switch spots…
I also wonder whether Smith should continue to bat second because of his on-base skills. Doc’s decision to have him and Mookie switch spots put him in position to hit the go-ahead HR in Game 7. (Rushing would bat lower whenever he plays.)
Looking back on the playoffs, it’s remarkable how practically every Dodger had a memorable positive impact at some point. And Roberts made so many smart moves.
OMG !!! I’d love that lineup Mark.. Can you imagine a 90 RBI hitter batting 8th. ???? Then having Edman, the Swiss army knife playing all over… I kinda agree with your assessment of having our potential closer already on our staff. One guy who is constantly overlooked as a reliever is Jack Dreyer. His numbers are very good. His WHIP & WAR are very respectable. And his HRs allowed rate is much better than Scott, Vesia, Casparius, Henriquez, Banda, Wrobo. I think he has Steve Howe written all over him, without the addiction problem… Big overpay for D. Williams by the Mets, in my opinion.
We got tons of bullpen arms. If we get one, aim high.
Well, I really wanted Mason Miller….
That’s high
Miller doesn’t want to close anymore.
He wants the big bux!
good morning from icy virginia!
i’m reading this morning the mets aren’t out on Diaz just because they signed williams. Good for them! Dodgers don’t need him. Fairbanks is “hot” on the reliever list for several teams. The dodgers interest is hard to read right now. Mark could be on to something. they may stand pat . They may be banking on Tanner Scott to bounce back stronger and better than ever.
i’m anxiously awaiting the next move they make in the position player market. I really want them to bring in donovan and possibly duran. i love that lineup mark posted! The only thing i would not want to see, dalton being traded. Teo is going to have to be relocated to left field. That limits Daltons ability to get many AB’s in left field. i guess that he could spell Teo occasionally, Freddie occasionally, and Will occasionally. Maybe even dh every blue moon after ohtani pitches. The main thing is they don’t trade him this offseason. This isn’t Cartaya !
One other thing. I don’t think they should or will trade Glasnow. give him an extra day off occasionally and limit his innings during the regular season. But he can be so dang good! Emmit seems to be a logical choice in a Jared Duran trade. the sox need another starter and the dodgers interest need an outfielder! Love Emmit, but Gavin Stone is on the horizon, as is River Ryan. Isn’t this fun?
Baseball America previews the Rule 5 draft ($$$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-rule-5-draft-preview-top-players-to-know/
One Dodger singled out (pun?):
Jose Rodriguez, RHP, Dodgers
When it comes to the ideal template for a Rule 5 pick, Rodriguez checks a lot of boxes. He’s tall, physical, comes complete with a deceptive delivery and outlier pitches. The 24-year-old signed out of Mexico in 2019 …
Made it to Cali safely. No pertinent Dodger news yet. Still waiting for something concrete,
Like it or not, in MLB, you are now judged by OPS and you can pretty much set your lineup by OPS.
The higher the OPS, the higher up in the lineup a hitter should hit!
Brandon Gomes at the GM meetings “Ryan Ward will get a bunch of opportunities at some point this year.”
That can be read a number of lovely ways.
Where? When? For whom?
https://x.com/OPS_BASEBALL/status/1995543045316514281?s=20
Also, the Dodgers 40 man needs serious work:
Currently on the 40 Man
SP –
Glasnow (18 GS in ’25)
Hurt / option available
Knack / option available (7 GS in ’25)
Ohtani (14 GS in ’25)
Ryan / option available
Sasaki / option available (8 GS in ’25)
Sheehan / option available (12 GS in ’25)
Snell (11 GS in ’25)
Stone / option available
Wrobleski / option available (2 GS in ’25)
Yamamoto (30 GS in ’25)
on the rehab trail –
Hurt
Ryan
Stone
RP –
Banda
Casparius / option available
Dreyer / option available
Gervase / option available
Graterol
Henriquez / option available
Klein / option available
Kopp / option available
Miller
Scott
Stewart
Treinen
Vesia
That’s a LOT of pitchers and not a LOT of room for position players.
But you can onlt carry 13 pitchers… 14 with Ohtani.
OK, Mark….
What if the Cards are willing to trade Donovan for Ferris, Freeland and Sirota?
Would you pull the trigger?
No, but I would do Ferris, Freeland (my favorite player), and Hope, but I think they would want Kim and if you had Donovan, you don’t need Kim.