THE Dodgers reduced its glut of infielders Monday, trading second baseman Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a competitive first-round draft pick, according to a person familiar with the deal but not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Lux had a productive end to 2024 after missing 2023 due to torn knee ligaments, hitting .304 with an on-base percentage plus .899 in the second half after hitting .213 with an OPS of . 562 in the first half, and he produced the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning in the Decisive victory in Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
But with Bets on Mookie move from right field to shortstop this winter and the Dodgers signing of Korean infielder Hyeseong Kima left-handed hitter whose best position is second base, to a three-year, $12.5 million contract Friday, left-handed hitter Lux became expendable.
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The Dodgers have plenty of depth in the middle of the field behind Betts and Kim, with Tommy Edmanwho provides above-average defense at shortstop, second base and center field, skillful infielder Miguel Rojas and utility man Chris Taylor on the roster. Betts also has considerable experience at second base.
Lux, 27, was a first-round draft pick of the Dodgers out of Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2016, and he was named Baseball America’s minor league player of the year in 2019 after hitting . 347 with a 1.028 OPS. , 26 homers and 76 RBIs in 113 games for Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
After playing 18 games for the Dodgers at second base during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Lux bounced around the diamond in 2021 and 2022, playing shortstop, second base, left field and center field, with the Dodgers getting creative in their attempts to keep his bat in the lineup.
But an awkward slide toward third base during a spring training game in March 2023 led to season-ending surgery after Lux tore both his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and collateral ligament lateral (LCL) of his right knee.
Lux was expected to take over at shortstop last spring before a series of throwing errors prompted the team to move Betts to shortstop and Lux to second base last March.
Lux, who is expected to earn $2.7 million in his second year of arbitration this season, finished with a .251 batting average, .703 OPS, 10 home runs, 24 doubles and 50 RBIs in 129 games last season.
He acknowledged nursing his surgically repaired knee for most of the first half, which led to a more hesitant swing and produced softer contact.
But he adjusted his mindset and approach in the week leading up to the All-Star break and broke out, hitting .347 with a 1.043 OPS, seven home runs, 14 doubles and 21 RBIs in 40 matches from July 20 to September 4.
“I don’t think it’s a drastic change,” Lux, who was named National League Player of the Week to start the second half, said at the time. “I just try to be more aggressive, and when I get a decent pitch to hit, I put a good swing on it.”
Lux cooled off in September, hitting .216 (11-for-51) with five RBIs in his final 20 regular-season games, and he hit just .176 (six-for-34) in 12 playoff games.
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But he had two hits, including a two-run homer in the seventh inning, in the Dodgers’ 8-0 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, and he managed an equalizing goal. a loaded sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of an eventual 7-6 victory that clinched the World Series title for the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium.
Sirota, 21, was selected by the Dodgers in the 16th round of the 2021 draft but did not sign. He was a third-round pick of the Northeastern University Reds in 2024, but did not play for a minor league affiliate. The Dodgers will also receive the 37th overall pick in next summer’s draft as part of the deal.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
