With Mookie Betts Playing Infield, Will the Dodgers Trade Gavin Lux?
Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said at the MLB GM Meetings that the Dodgers are planning to move Mookie Betts back to the infield.
Betts began the 2024 season playing shortstop, but was moved back to the outfield after returning from a fractured hand injury. The Dodgers want to bring Betts to the infield again to lessen the toll on his body.
The question then becomes what moving Betts to the infield means for Gavin Lux. The Dodgers already have a first baseman in Freddie Freeman and third baseman in Max Muncy. Lux struggled at shortstop during spring training, and Tommy Edman and Miguel Rojas are expected to hold down the role of shortstop.
Unless Betts returns to becoming the team’s primary shortstop, he would presumably play second base, which Lux played this season.
Gomes did not offer too much insight on the team’s plans for Lux next season at the GM Meetings.
“Gavin’s been a huge part of our success,” Gomes said, via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “Especially in the second half getting over the ACL injury [that sidelined him for all of 2023], he was a huge part of our team. I think Mookie’s ability to play so many places is only beneficial for us.”
Could the Dodgers consider trading Lux if they don’t have a place for him?
On one hand, having Lux would be great for injury insurance. The Dodgers dealt with injuries across the infield last season, and having a player like Lux as a platoon would be great, even if he doesn’t play in every game. Still, Lux could certainly become expendable if the Dodgers decide they aren’t going to use him, or if they need to trade him to acquire a top player.
Lux rebounded well from a rough start to his return from a torn ACL in 2024. Lux finished the 2024 season slashing .251/.320/.383 with 110 hits, 59 runs, 10 home runs, and 50 RBIs.
He recorded career-highs in both home runs and RBIs, and really emerged for the Dodgers after the All-Star break.
It would make sense for the Dodgers to keep Lux on the roster as depth. It would also make sense for them to package him in a deal for a high-end starting pitcher or high-leverage reliever.
The rest of the moves they make this offseason will likely factor into the decision to move Lux, too. As of now, the team has been linked to star shortstop Willy Adames, which would absolutely spell the end of Lux in Los Angeles.
