Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz could be an ideal trade candidate for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 24-year-old is coming off an outstanding 2026 season, hitting .283 with 30 home runs, 79 RBIs and 30 stolen bases, posting an .880 OPS across 143 games. His combination of power, speed and defensive ability could strengthen the Dodgers’ lineup in multiple ways.

However, bringing De La Cruz in would mean moving Dodgers star Mookie Betts from the shortstop position. On Saturday’s “All Dodgers” show, analyst Kevin Skinner was asked if trading for De La Cruz could be disrespectful toward Betts.

“I don’t think he’d [Betts] care,” Skinner said. I think he just wants to win. That’s what he says he wants to do. So, I don’t think he’d care if he moved to second base. He’s always wanted to be a second baseman. I think he’d be fine with it, as long as it makes sense. And if you’re looking at guys for whom it would make sense, I mean, Elly De La Cruz is probably the only guy. So, yeah, I think he’d be OK with it.”

Skinner also highlighted that De La Cruz is not any ordinary major league shortstop, so there is no question of disrespect.

“I mean, it’s not like they’re bringing in Ha-Seong Kim and saying, ‘Hey, Mookie, go play second base,'” Skinner added. “This is Elly De La Cruz, who, according to FanGraphs, ranked third among shortstops last year. He had around 5.6 bWAR.”

For the Dodgers, the equation gets simpler if they bring De La Cruz, whose Reds contract runs through the 2029 season. Betts would have no problem sliding to his right and he has experience playing second base. The combination of these two players could provide the Dodgers with a solid middle infield.

Dodgers Manager Likes Elly De La Cruz

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has previously spoken highly of Elly De La Cruz.

In September, Roberts acknowledged De La Cruz’s strong performances against the Dodgers over the last few years.

“He’s definitely had a lot of success against us,” Roberts said on SportsNet LA. “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.”

In his career against the Dodgers, the Reds shortstop has batted .290 with seven home runs, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored in 26 career games. This year, De La Cruz featured in seven games against the Dodgers, hitting .360/.407/1.040 with two doubles, five home runs and nine RBI.

However, this is still early days in the offseason to make any speculation regarding the possibility of this trade. There’s interest at least from the Dodgers, and if Cincinnati cannot sign on a big extension, they may look to salvage great Dodgers prospects in return.