Dodgers can find outfield help from fellow playoff contender in the Cardinals

Buyer to buyer trades have become more frequent in baseball. This is when one contending team trades a piece of their major league roster to another contending team, both benefitting from the deal by filling holes in their roster.

A perfect example of a trade like this can be seen this year between the Phillies and the Orioles. Baltimore has a plethora of outfielders, so they sent Austin Hays to the Phillies in exchange for outfielder Cristian Pache and reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Both teams got better in their pursuit of the 2024 World Series Championship.

Two teams that could pair up perfectly in a trade like this would be the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. Both of these teams are aggressively looking to buy in the coming days. So, who would the trade center around?

The center piece of the deal would be the Cardinals utility man, switch hitter Tommy Edman.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

Dodgers-Cardinals could pair up perfectly in a buyer-buyer trade

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, among others, have made the connection of Edman to the Dodgers.

"Here’s another option who would make sense, considering his versatility: The St. Louis Cardinals’ Tommy Edman, who has yet to play this season while recovering from right wrist surgery. Edman plays both infield and outfield and is currently on a rehabilitation assignment at Double-A," Rosenthal wrote.

Edman, 29, has yet to make his season debut in the majors after undergoing wrist surgery last fall. The recovery on his surgery has taken much longer than expected, but he's still on track to return to the big leagues soon.

Over his career, he's slashing .265/.319/.408 with 106 stolen bases in 596 career games. Edman would provide the Dodgers with a stable bat while being able to swing it from both sides of the plate. His defensive versatility is one of the key selling points on his as well, as Los Angeles could use help throughout their roster and Edman could slot in almost anywhere.

Let's not forget that the Dodgers were heavily linked to Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena ahead of the trade deadline, only to lose out to the Seattle Mariners. The Dodgers could use an outfielder, and Edman does have a solid track record of playing well defensively at any position.

St. Louis could turn this to a buyer-to-buyer trade if they would like to. They are performing just fine without Edman and they could look to acquire a pitcher from the Dodgers in exchange for Edman if they so choose. Or, any position in which the Dodgers are willing to give up and the Cardinals feel can help them.