The Dodgers are faced with a surprising shortstop question midway through Spring Training. Expected starter Gavin Lux has been charged with a pair of errors in his first 10 1/3 innings of exhibition work. Lux has had a few more erratic moments, skipping a pair of throws to first base but being bailed out on scoops by Freddie Freeman.
His throwing accuracy is concerning enough it could impact his spot in the lineup at the start of the season. “I don’t know,” manager Dave Roberts replied when asked if Lux would be the Opening Day shortstop (link via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). “Obviously, performance is paramount at this level for a team vying to win a championship. So I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know that it will be in the vein of whatever gives us the best chance to win.”
Throughout the offseason, the L.A. front office maintained that Lux was going to be the regular shortstop. They reportedly considered trade possibilities, particularly Milwaukee’s Willy Adames, but clearly had Lux atop the internal options. That might still be the case, but Roberts’ comments add some urgency for him to sort out his throwing.
This isn’t the first time that he has struggled with seemingly straightforward throws. He battled his accuracy at times in the minors, which he conceded was tied to anxiety. That’s part of the reason the Dodgers moved the one-time top prospect to second base early in his career, although Corey Seager and Trea Turner had blocked his path to shortstop anyhow. Los Angeles was prepared to move Lux back to shortstop last year. A Spring Training ACL tear instead ended his season before it began.
Playing on the right side of the infield suited him well. He was charged with five throwing errors over 819 2/3 second base innings in 2022. That’s a higher than average rate but certainly not untenable. Public defensive metrics have graded him as an above-average second baseman overall thanks to his plus range.
Mookie Betts is moving to the keystone this year. That would bump Lux to shortstop but obviously places extra stress on his arm. Signing Shohei Ohtani means the Dodgers will need Max Muncy to play regularly at third base. Muncy is a below-average defender, putting a little more pressure on the L.A. shortstop to compensate.
That’s part of the reason that Adames, one of the game’s top defensive infielders, was an appealing target. Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic wrote this evening that the Dodgers have continued interest in Adames, but Milwaukee remains reluctant to part with him. The Brewers have Joey Ortiz on hand as a potential shortstop replacement, but they could need to rely on Ortiz at either second or third base throughout the season. Adames is also a strong presence in the Milwaukee clubhouse and a solid offensive contributor as an annual threat for 25-30 homers.
A preseason Adames trade seems unlikely with roughly two weeks until Opening Day. He’d surely come up in deadline talks if Milwaukee falls out of contention, but they’ll make a push to defend their title in a wide-open NL Central.
It’d probably take that kind of significant upgrade for the Dodgers to look outside the organization. They have options to solidify the defense if they’re not sold on Lux handling the position at the moment. Miguel Rojas remains a plus defender. He owns a .236/.286/.322 batting line over the past two seasons, so the Dodgers would prefer to keep him in a depth role, but there’s no question Rojas could more than capably handle the position. He’d be a significant offensive downgrade from Lux, who hit .276/.346/.399 in 2022.
Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor are utility players who could cover shortstop at times. Betts even started 12 games there a year ago. There’s no indication the Dodgers are considering playing Betts at shortstop full time, but that’s a theoretical possibility that would allow them to keep Lux at second base.
Of course, the ideal outcome is that Lux settles in as he continues to build his defensive workload. It’s fair to expect some amount of rust in all facets for a player coming back from a year-long injury absence. His minor league issues make the recent throws more alarming, but it’s possible he’ll get increasingly comfortable with more reps. The Dodgers start the season early with a two-game set against the Padres in South Korea on March 20-21.
The guy is going on 27. I feel like you have to give him the keys and see how it turns out. There’s nobody that should be holding him back and you have more than enough talent to carry the team just in case
Or you could trade him for Adames
Then they are looking for shortstop next year. While still trying to make a run a roki.
I’d rather roll the dice with Lux.
Next year?
This is a win now team with 1 giant hole at shortstop otherwise a great team up and down. Go get Adames then figure it out next year.
They have been a win-now team this whole decade. Trading Lux for a year of Adames and now not getting a QO would be dumb. They are built for the next 5 years.
There is no guarantee that Adames is an upgrade, especially for one year. His OPS+ was 95 last year while Lux was 109 in ’22 before the injury. Adames is most likely better defensively, but prior to some throwing concerns this spring there’s no history of defensive issues.
I think you roll with Lux.
The article actually mentions that there indeed was a history of defensive concerns, which Lux chalked up to anxiety. Hence the move from SS to 2B.
Giant hole? I think a bit of an overstatement, I think. Let him shake off some rust, take a little extra infield
It’s the only hole in an otherwise super deep lineup.
Lux makes more sense for the Brewers. And Adames makes more sense for the Dodgers.
I like that move, especially with Muncy at 3B. But Adames strikes out a lot. Maybe that could improve under Dodgers coaching.
Or Javier Baez
The dodgers aren’t in a position to just “give hime the KEYS”. This is world series contender that might end up being a dynasty, the way this team is built. I like Rojas,KiKi or Taylor at short. That line up is built to where one below average hitter won’t hurt but defensive errors will
I guess we disagree. I think having Taylor, Rojas, or Hernandez shortstop is a handicap. I think lux can turn it around and just needs to get the green light.
Agree with you Chipotle. Far too early to panic. These public comments from Doc are a little perplexing. Perhaps Doc should reflect a bit on the value of the public support he has received from AF over the past 7-8 years when his questionable decision-making and bullpen management in the playoffs has had observers calling for his head.
Kike should only be at SS in an emergency. He proved last year he can’t play the position regularly
If Hernandez sees ANY time at shortstop, the Dodgers are in real trouble. In Boston he proved, beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt, that he simply can’t play the position at a MLB level.
I doubt Kike could win the SS job at any major college baseball program. He’s horrible.
Gomez
“If Hernandez sees ANY time at shortstop, the Dodgers are in real trouble.”
Kiké will almost certainly get time at SS. The Dodgers will almost certainly be fine
Saying the word dynasty for a team that hasn’t even won a game yet. Specially one that has a bad playoff track record. More like they might end up as a team that choked the hardest. Don’t worry though dodger fans will blame the playoff format.
They may be a “dynasty” in the sense that the 90’s/early 00’s Braves were a dynasty; lots of division titles, 5 NL pennants, 1 championship (ironically in a shortened season)
Dodgers
“The dodgers aren’t in a position to just “give hime the KEYS”. ”
of course they are.
It’s almost impossible he could be poor enough to cost them the division, let alone a playoff spot.
Let him play half a season. If you need to upgrade at the deadline, do so
That is the best answer, filihok. Really surprised at Roberts take on this. He is probably under a lot of pressure to perform this year. Lux can hit and will be fine.
As a red sox fan watching kiki play ss..i promise you dont want him in the ss mix.
I was at the Dodgers White Sox game and Lux throws between innings were fine. I don’t think it’s a case of the yips. I definitely feel he’s pressing. On one of the plays in the 1st he took to much time gathering his feet and thinking about it that he allowed the runner to beat the throw to 1st. I think after that play he then began rushing his throws and a little bit of stress began to build and he began to bounce his throws. However, he didn’t bring the mental issues to the plate. He went 1-2 with 2 BBs. I think he deserves to have the benefit of the doubt and should be the starter. Let’s not forget he hasn’t played a major league game in well over a year.
“The guy is going on 27.”
Well, technically yes, in November. He’ll play this entire season as a 26 year old. Kind of an odd way to slightly overstate your argument.
This has the makings for a Chuck Knoblauch situation all over again.
Or if you want a Dodger connection, Steve Sax
Yup to the yips.
we don’t say the Y-word!
Yippee!
Freddie can bail Lux out only so many times, he’s going to have to get better.
There’s a D Lux joke in there somewhere…
Are we Gavin fun yet?
There’s no D in D Lux?
These things always work out for the Dodgers but there is a whiff of the Mets about them. They are relying on a lot of fragile players or poor defenders. Unless Betts or Freeman goes down I don’t see them worrying about the NL West but everything for them will come down to the playoffs and thats where they could be in “trouble”. Mostly like blind wishing from a bitter Giants fan.
You have to have some degree of faith here because Lux is steeped in the Dodgers’ technique and training. I like his bat so much that I’d be willing to tolerate his defensive shortcomings. I played with a guy like that, and his hitting more than made up for those occasional WTFs.
Lux is from Wisconsin. Just saying……
What does that mean?
Blackpink was created by YG Entertainment. Just saying….
@CFC He enjoys cheddar, bratwurst and beer. Obviously.
…and probably enjoys Polka too. {cringe}
The Brewers have a shortstop who is probably available dude.
Well there’s always Kiké, the Red Sox loved him at SS last year (sarcasm). The addition of Adames would go further into making this a Super Team, I hope the Brewers are asking for a king’s ransom for him. But if the Dodgers want to go all in, he would be a superb cherry on top of the sundae.
10 innings of defense is nowhere close enough to knock off the rust.
He played some in 22’ and looked terrible
Just put Betts back in the outfield
Lux isn’t that much better at 2b either. Lux & Muncy both arguably the worst left side of any NL infield is the issue. If they both play 150 games we’ll get 40+ errors and little range. I’d bunt all day down third.
His bat is what’s gonna get him in that lineup, and I think that’s his calling card. He can get you by with his average to below defense, but his bat is his value.
his bat is his value, but the defense tanks his value at short. by the all star break lux will have around 20 starts at short rojas will have ~15 and betts will have ~45.
Not seeing how this helps at short. Either way, the Dodgers managed to win 100 with Rojas as the everyday SS, so it seems like they have the flexibility to work this out.
At the end of the day Lux just isn’t as good as they thought he was going to be.. Even when healthy he doesn’t look like an all star.
You can’t deny his hitting abilities. He’s never gonna be a gold glover, but he’ll be a .300 hitter in your lineup over the next 5 years.
Does he have to be an All Star?
No, but he has to at least be a little below average to play ss on a championship caliber team. His feet aren’t smooth, he takes poor routes to the ball and his arm is weak and erratic. Betts logged 16 games at ss last season, I’m wondering if he’d consider moving there so Lux could slide back over to second. Of course, they’d run the risk of disrupting Betts’ offense by making such a drastic move, especially this close to opening day. Whether through trade, benching Lux for Rojas or sliding Betts to ss they need to pull the plug on Lux at ss now. It’s amazing they didn’t recognize Lux’s fielding limitations years ago.
The full article includes a lot more quotes from Roberts on this situation and none were as negative sounding as the one quoted here. Basically it was an understanding that Lux was away from the game for a long time with a major injury and now he really just needs to try easier. Considering the fuller picture you can get by reading the complete article, I believe the Dodgers don’t consider him to be a defensive liability and they expect him to work out his issues. By the start of the season? Maybe not. But over time, yes.
Betts will play anywhere, of course. But that’s still not the right answer.
I’ve coached the game for decades and my own eyes tell me the kid doesn’t have the skills to play professional ss at a competent level. No need to read the comments. At the end of the day they did exactly what I suggested they do. Kudos to them for quickly realizing their mistake and quickly changing gears before the issue could take on a life of its own. If they had continued playing Lux at ss they would’ve had to install a circus tent around the stadium.
So your eyes are better than the scouts, evaluators and coaches at the major league level? I don’t know what you are doing for a living now, but obviously it isn’t the right thing.
Apparently so.
Trade him for Adames. Let the Brewers have some excess value, 5 years team control :shrugs: he doesn’t fit at any position anyways.
I think Lux will sort it out BUT to do so, he should start in AAA for a month. He needs more playing time, and that should not happen at the MLB level to start the season. He needs to play without the pressure to get comfortable playing in the field again. ST is not enough time.
Were it not for the fact that he’s now 27, I’d agree with you. Roberts isn’t being fatalistic, he just knows what is most likely to motivate Lux, and so we’ll see. Lux will win it and settle in.
He’s 26, and missed his age 25 season, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world to have a month in the minors to get comfortable, but I just don’t think it’s necessary. He’ll be fine.
They made the big winter deals but forgot their defense. Way too early to panic. Still the left defense is a problem they should at least look at.
I could see this kid wasn’t a professional shortstop while watching him play for the Singke A Quakes. In fact, the Quakes even moved him to second base. He simply isn’t anywhere near skilled enough to play the position. The main problem is the Dodgers scouts, coaches and front office somehow failed to recognize it and planned to go into 2023, with him penciled in as their ss. Another season has passed and they did it again. Lux can hit, would be a decent second baseman there. The Dodgers failure to recognize Lux’s capabilities to put him in the best situation to excel is not only hurting him but the team. There’s absolutely no way the Dodgers will make it a month into the season without making a change at ss. These guys have assembled an outstanding team but failed to solidify their most important defensive position. Truly amazing. Thank goodness for Rojas and/or Sweeney, because absent a trade they’ll be needed.
The Quakes didn’t decide to move Lux to 2B – the Dodgers org did. Single-A management don’t make those kind of positional calls on top prospects.
Fair enough. Rephrase my comment to the Dodgers organization even decided to move Lux to 2nd way back in 2018. They apparently forgot why they did that.
This is on Friedman, they should have left him at second base since last year like in ’22. He’s a liability at ss just like Muncy is at 3rd base but management always prefers batting over defense and here we are 2 wks from opening day
This dodger lineup could use a Bichette ?
Maybe next year when Bo goes into walk year and slew of young dodger pitchers are healthy.
Manny Trillo was one of the best defensive 2B I remember but he had trouble throwing early on, especially his rookie year with the Cubs. He was given the chance to sink or swim. His defense was a big factor when the Phillies won the WS in 80.
doesn’t matter what davey thinks anyway. he’s just a DEI hire and dugout poseur.
Lux be a shortstop tonight
Sinatra, nice!!
oh no, the dodgers are in crisis
It’s not even opening day yet, and the Dodgers will almost certainly be playing in the postseason. They have plenty of time to work it out – whether it be Lux, an internal option, or a deadline upgrade.
Let him play, see what you got. It won’t make or break the path to the postseason.
The Dodgers lineup is pretty deep. They can get away with a glove first shortstop in Rojas if they need to. Bat him 9th & any offense you get is a bonus
“Bat him 9th & any offense you get is a bonus”
*8th
So, Lux is looking like a 27-year-old bust, And because he’s from Wisconsin, the Brewers should trade away a slugging SS with a great glove and a better attitude, for him? I know that entitled Dodger fans feel that teams like Milwaukee should just hand over their top talent for your overhyped washouts, but c’mon!
Ignoring also versatile IF Joey Ortiz was added as a key piece for trading Burnes. Seems like Brewers would want to add a pitcher from LAD farm (not Lux) if they hypothetically dealt Adames.
Look at the Dodger roster… it works.
Max Muncy
Mookie
Chris Taylor
Austin Barnes
Tyler Glasnow
Justin Turner
They just picked up Andre Lipcius from the Tigers for cash… look for him to be the first one to step into Max Muncy’s spot.. Glove first guy with a good eye at the plate.
GSP
“So, Lux is looking like a 27-year-old bust”
He is not looking anything like a bust
Wut?
Loyal (but realistic) Brewer fan.
With Arnold (Not Sterns), we don’t have the smooth negotiator. Brewers values are value-based, so 5 years of a lesser player for 1 year of a better player is likely a trade Brewers would accept (yes, within reason).
You have a 162 games to figure this out. LA wins their division if Greg Abbott plays SS and bats 9th. Relax, let him play, and see how many errors he makes. Your offense will over come. You can have Adames in July when the Brewers are out of contention. The regular season isn’t the challenge for LA. Patience.
It’s crazy to me to think that the dodgers, with their resources are looking to start max muncy at 3rd and lux is their best option at SS. Move Mookie to SS and keep lux at 2b
The Dodgers never should’ve let Corey Seager and Trea Turner leave.
These kinds of thoughts are just uniformed. They let both go so they could play the long game of Ohtani and the rest of the new SPs. The last three years have been to prep for the Ohtani signing. You can’t have them all.
The Mets had Strawberry and Gooden for seven seasons and one title. That was as stacked an organization as you could have.
Javy Baez… please!
You got a great defensive right fielder playing 2nd and your 2nd baseman playing horrible at short. Betts goes to RF, Lux goes back to 2nd and you make defense a priority at short….especially with so many question marks on the pitching staff.
That is the best logic given they have an elite lineup. A glove first SS batting 9th is ideal. It is not a fantasy league.
It’s crazy just how many shortstops LA passed on over the last few years. You mean to tell me they didn’t know Lux wasn’t the guy before now? Doesn’t seem like a Dodgers IQ move to me. It’s LA, so I’m sure it will work itself out, but I wouldn’t be encouraged by Roberts’ words here if I was a Dodger fan.
Feels like the Dodgers kinda screwed up. They shoulda traded for Burnes & Adames instead of Glasnow.
I believe Juan Uribe is a free agent
Trevor Story and $90 million for Gavin Lux. Or Trevor Story, $90 million, plus Giolito and $36 million for Lux.
Henry wouldn’t ever pay the Dodgers a dime, but beyond that, Giolito is immovable.
Go get Trevor story immediately and we win a WS
The Blue Jays have a versatile player named Espinal. He plays very good defence at shortstop, second base and third base. Last year was not one his better years offensively but he had good years in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The Blue Jay manager is an idiot so you could probably get him for a cup of coffee.
dodgers fans think that other teams are their farm team. oh let’s just trade lux for adames straight up.
brewers can see despiration, lux is your throw in at this point. it would probably cost them rushing(or)fasso + lux, maybe a lottery ticket in there too.
Remember the brewers don’t have to be good. the dodgers just downy a billion dollars this offseason and if they don’t make the world series they will be a laughing stock. Your SS will go a long ways towards that.
I would take a long look at Lux at 2nd and Mookie at short. Mookie is an incredible athlete.
I too would rather have Mookie at short….
I don’t think Muncy or Lux alone as a below-average defender is untenable, but having both on the same side of the infield come playoff time would make me leery. Plenty of time for LA to figure this out during the season, though.
After watching Kike trying to play shortstop for the Sox last year…. no, you don’t want him in that position.
lol just relax he’s got this
Hmmm. The Orioles have a glut of infielders including Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo who have both won gold gloves. Don’t see how they both remain. A lower pitching prospect with potential might do the trick.
Looks like Mookie at SS, Lux at 2B