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The Los Angeles Dodgers are hoping to return to the Fall Classic next season, but there’s a good chance it won’t be with the same group of players. Second baseman Gavin Lux has emerged as a trade candidate for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers announced Mookie Betts would be returning to the infield for the 2025 season. Betts played shortstop this season and it went as expected given the star hadn’t played the position since high school.
After Betts was sidelined by a fractured hand in June, the shortstop experiment seemed to come to a conclusion. When Betts returned in August, the Dodgers placed him back in right field. It’s certainly an interesting move by the Dodgers to place Betts back in the infield, despite being one of the best defensive right fielders in the league.
Since the Dodgers already have two available short stops in Miguel Rojas and Tommy Edman, it seems unlikely that Betts would also be an infield quarterback. The most likely landing spot for Betts would be second base, which leaves Lux as the odd man out.
Once upon a time, the Dodgers were unwilling to trade Lux for a major star. But the latest report indicates that the Dodgers would be open to trading the second baseman in exchange for a high-profile player.
The Chicago White Sox are in need of position players and the Dodgers could send Lux in exchange for starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The Dodgers announced the team will be using a six-man rotation next season, which means there are vacant slots to fill.
If the Dodgers learned anything from 2024, it’s that they can never have enough starting pitching. The Dodgers are hoping to sign Roki Sasaki and another starting pitcher this winter. The White Sox are expected to trade Crochet this offseason.
As the offseason unfolds, a better picture will become clear of the Dodgers’ roster for 2025. For now, the speculation frenzy will continue.
Although Lux is a homegrown player, the Dodgers have more pressing needs in the outfield and with the starting rotation that Lux is no longer a necessity.
Dodgers predicted to lose $69 million fan-favorite to Tigers in free agency surprise
Sure, the Tigers walked off the Dodgers on consecutive days in Detroit earlier this season. But that occurred during LA’s worst stretch of the season, which quickly gave way to championship baseball once again.
Meanwhile, the Tigers made a surprise playoff run after trading away many of their key players, including starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, to the Dodgers. Even so, the gap in star talent between the two organizations is fairly obvious.
If the Tigers are able to pry one of the Dodgers’ best hitters from their clutches in free agency, though, that’s when a real vendetta might start.
Left fielder Teoscar Hernández, who made his second All-Star team in his lone Dodgers season in 2024, is one of the top free-agent bats available this winter. Recently, Brandon Wile of The Score predicted that the Tigers would sign Hernández to bolster their offense this winter.
“The Tigers were one of the better stories in 2024, and ownership builds on that momentum by committing to surrounding an emerging young core with veteran talent,” Wile said. “The offense gets the middle-of-the-order bat it desperately needs by signing Teoscar Hernández.”
Hernández, 32, blasted a career-high 33 home runs this season, accompanied by an .840 OPS/137 OPS+ and 99 RBI. The Silver Slugger has professed his desire to return to Chavez Ravine, but plenty of other teams will enter the bidding for his services.
After signing a one-year contract on the back of his rough 2023 season, Hernández will be looking to strike it big this time around. Tim Britton of The Athletic projects a three-year, $69 million contract for the lefty slugger.
It might take an overpay, but there’s always a chance the Tigers could pitch their vision well enough to lure Hernández to Detroit. The Dodgers also seem to be prioritizing starting pitching in free agency, which could allow the slugger to slip through the cracks.
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