Los Angeles Dodgers fans have gotten a front-row seat to what Elly De La Cruz can do, and that kind of exposure tends to create dangerous ideas.
The Cincinnati Reds shortstop lit up the Dodgers last week in Los Angeles, homering in each game of the three-game series despite playing through a sore quad. That stretch was part of a five-game homer run, and he kept the power show rolling Monday in Cincinnati by launching a ball out of the park - literally.
The bat isn’t the only thing making De La Cruz look like a franchise-altering player. He has also been turning heads in the field with some outrageous throws, including a 102 MPH dart that stopped an inside-the-park home run. According to MLB, that was the fastest assist by an infielder in the Statcast era, which dates back to 2015.
At 24, De La Cruz is the kind of rare five-tool player teams dream about. He’s in the middle of a huge second-half surge, batting .298/.383/.540. His 2024 line includes 67 steals, a career-high .283 batting average, a career-best 10.8% walk rate and 26 home runs, with a real chance to reach 30 this season.
That production is exactly why some Dodgers fans have started imagining him in Los Angeles, even if the fit comes with complications. The club has an aging shortstop in Mookie Betts, who is struggling, and moving Betts to a less demanding spot like second base could help revive his bat. From there, the leap some fans are making is simple: empty the farm system and go get De La Cruz.
On paper, there’s logic on both sides. The Dodgers would add a young star who could help keep their dynasty rolling, while Cincinnati has already been turned away in its attempts to extend De La Cruz. With his surge continuing, some are even projecting a contract that could reach $700 million.
That kind of money would be a brutal load for the Reds, and De La Cruz is also heading toward arbitration, where the price can climb fast for a star. Cincinnati’s other young pieces, Sal Stewart and Chase Burns, are even younger and under more control, which makes De La Cruz the player whose timeline is most out of sync with the rest of the core.
For the Reds, a Dodgers offer built around prized prospects such as Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota and Christian Zazueta could make sense and fit the organization’s window better than De La Cruz does.
But the idea gets messy fast.
The backlash over the Dodgers’ deadline price for Tarik Skubal is still fresh, and that was for a half-season of a starting pitcher coming off major elbow surgery, with his former team backed into a corner and lacking leverage. A trade for De La Cruz - a rising star still years from his prime and with three more seasons of team control - would draw a much louder reaction.
Then there is the Mark Walter of it all. The allegations against the owner have the baseball world on edge, and that has people ready to criticize anything Los Angeles does or might do.
For now, the better play is patience. At some point, the Reds may have no choice but to shop De La Cruz.
If that day comes, a bidding war will follow, and even if the Dodgers win it, the outside noise will be easier to shrug off as standard baseball business. Making the move now would only invite more heat than it’s worth.
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Dodgers Are Testing A Top Prospect In A Spot They Need Badly
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Davalan has already earned attention with his offense in the minors, and now the question is whether his bat can travel with him to a new spot on the dirt. For the Dodgers, the appeal is obvious: if he can handle the transition, they may have another option in an area where they could use more answers. The Fall League is built for exactly this sort of test, and Davalans next steps will say plenty about how quickly the club thinks he can move. [Read more 🡒]
Tarik Skubal Just Gave Dodgers Fans Real Hope About His Future
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Skubals comments naturally fueled more speculation about his future, especially with his status still unresolved. Nothing official has been announced, but any public showing of enthusiasm around the Dodgers tends to get attention, and this one offered plenty of reason for supporters to wonder whether he sees a longer-term fit in Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Ace Is Buying Into Yoshinobu Yamamotos Unusual Routine
Around the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamotos pregame work has started to look less like an oddity and more like a template. His signature javelin workout, built with personal trainer Osamu Yada, leans heavily on flexibility and motion techniques, and it has become part of the conversation because of how well Yamamoto has handled the grind of pitching frequently while staying healthy.
Tarik Skubal was spotted going through that same routine ahead of a game against the Reds, a sign the idea is spreading beyond just one clubhouse regular. Mookie Betts has already mixed pieces of it into his own training, and for the Dodgers the broader takeaway is hard to miss: when an ace finds a routine that seems to work, teammates tend to take notice. [Read more 🡒]