The Los Angeles Dodgers’ seeming glut of middle infielders has its odd man out.
The Dodgers are trading second baseman Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. Minor league outfielder Mike Sirota and a competitive balance pick (currently set at No. 37 in next summer’s draft) are heading back to Los Angeles in the deal, first reported by ESPN.
Why the Dodgers traded Lux
The move comes just three days after the Dodgers signed Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim to a three-year, $12.5 million deal that includes a two-year club option and seemingly gave the Dodgers one too many middle infielders on their roster. Still, the Dodgers insisted publicly that the pieces would fit, with general manager Brandon Gomes saying the club’s “mindset” was still for Mookie Betts to open the season at shortstop and for Lux to play at second base, with Kim expected to play a utility role. The Dodgers also have Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman and even Chris Taylor on the roster capable of playing the middle infield, with fan favorite Kiké Hernández still lingering in free agency.
The current expectation, a source said, is still for Betts to open camp as the Dodgers’ shortstop.
Kim presented a like-for-like comparison to Lux: a mid-20s left-handed hitting middle infielder known more for his on-base ability and bat-to-ball skills than being a middle-of-the-order threat. But Kim is 25 to Lux’s 27, with a speed element that might be absent from Lux’s game after he suffered a torn ACL in 2023.
Now Lux, one of the game’s former top prospects and the subject of multiple public trade rumors dating back to his days as a minor leaguer, sees his chapter in Los Angeles come to an end.
108 mph from Gavin! pic.twitter.com/HKhNB1NVT0
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 10, 2024
Lux, a prolific hitter in the minors after the Dodgers selected him in the first round of the 2016 draft, had finally settled into a solid role in 2024 after years of ups and downs. He’d emerged as a valuable regular at second base in 2022 and seemingly was poised to become the team’s everyday shortstop before tearing up his knee the following spring training. The Dodgers had public plans of Lux being their shortstop in 2024 before a series of defensive lapses in spring training forced the Dodgers to pivot and move Lux to second — and Betts back to shortstop for the first time since high school.
Lux’s glove handled the move to second base well. It took until shortly before the All-Star break, however, for his bat to finally come back to life and break the mental scars after his knee injury. After enjoying a torrid July and carrying an .899 OPS after the All-Star break, Lux remained a regular throughout the postseason run.
In what would be his final at-bat as a Dodger, Lux lofted what would be the game-tying sacrifice fly in the club’s second comeback of the night in the World Series-clinching Game 5 against the New York Yankees.
Why the Reds acquired Lux
Lux’s bat trumps any positional needs. While the team is deep in middle infielders, Lux’s left-handed bat is something the team needed.
Where will he play? It’s likely Lux will move around, playing second base at times, as well as serving as a designated hitter and he could play more outfield. Lux started 24 games in left field in 2022, while playing in center and right in 2021. He has also played shortstop and could get looks at both corner-infield spots, places where the Reds were weak a year ago.
Matt McLain, expected to be the team’s starting second baseman, also played the outfield during the Arizona Fall League, where he played after missing all of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery.
Earlier this offseason, the Reds sent Jonathan India, who manned second for the majority of 2024, to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for starter Brady Singer. Last spring, India was moved around the field during spring training in anticipation of McLain’s taking over second base. India played first base in Cactus League games and also worked out in left field. When McLain suffered a shoulder injury, India returned to his everyday duties at second base, where he’d been since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2021. Drafted as a third baseman, India has never played another position in the big leagues other than second base.
The Reds also have Spencer Steer, who has moved between the infield and outfield, as well as utility man Santiago Espinal, who was acquired following McLain’s injury.
According to Baseball Reference’s version of WAR, the Reds were last in WAR from first basemen (minus-3.4), third basemen (minus-3.9) and designated hitters (minus-3.3) and 28th overall in outfielders (minus-5).
The Reds took Sirota in the third round of the 2024 draft, three years after the Dodgers selected him in the 16th round. A 21-year-old outfielder, Sirota hit 29 home runs in 143 games for Northeastern University with a 1.035 OPS and 48 stolen bases.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal contributed to this report.
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
