Elly De La Cruz keeps making life difficult for the Dodgers, and Dave Roberts has noticed.
The Cincinnati Reds shortstop is in the middle of a career season in his fourth year with the club, and the Dodgers have been one of his favorite targets. Across 26 career games against Los Angeles, De La Cruz has hit .290 with seven home runs, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored.
This season, he turned that matchup into a showcase. In seven games against the Dodgers, De La Cruz hit .360/.407/1.040 with two doubles, five home runs and nine RBI.
Roberts was asked on SportsNet LA whether De La Cruz was effectively auditioning to become a Dodgers target, and he didn’t exactly cool the speculation.
“He’s definitely had a lot of success against us,” manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA when asked if felt as though De La Cruz was auditioning to become a Dodgers target.
“I still recall that homer he hit off (Noah) Syndergaard here. I know him enough through All-Star Games and things like that, that he likes the big stage, he wants to play against the best and against us, he certainly performs. I think there’s a lot of willing takers for that person and talent.
“It’s nice to win games against those guys and still kind of be a fan and marvel at what he can do on a baseball field. He’s very impressive.”
De La Cruz’s profile is the kind that makes him look like a player a team would build around, and Cincinnati still hasn’t locked him up long term. He has three years of arbitration left before free agency in 2030, when he’ll be a soon-to-be 28-year-old.
The Reds’ recent track record doesn’t exactly help calm trade speculation. Over the past 12 seasons, they’ve had only two playoff appearances since 2014: the 16-team playoff in 2020 and then the 2025 postseason as the last National League Wild Card team with an 83-79 record.
That said, De La Cruz already drew praise from Roberts when he first reached the majors against Los Angeles in 2023. In that debut against the Dodgers, he went 1-for-2 with a double, and Roberts called him “as toolsy as any player in the big leagues.”
“The way he carried himself, the poise on the field, on a Major League field, so early in his career was remarkable. He’s a human highlight film. I like watching the highlights much more than in real-time, firsthand.
“But what a special talent. It’s good for the game of baseball.”
The Dodgers have Mookie Betts signed through after the 2032 season, but that wouldn’t necessarily rule them out if they decided to chase De La Cruz. Neither would the 2024 draft investment they made by taking Kellon Lindsey with their first pitck.
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