The Dodgers are flipping their middle infield alignment. Mookie Betts is getting the start at shortstop while Gavin Lux will be at second base for this evening’s Cactus League matchup against the Reds. Manager Dave Roberts called the switch “permanent, for now” when chatting with reporters (link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic).
While that leaves open the possibility of returning to their previous arrangement at some point, Betts is going to open the season at the infield’s toughest position. The Dodgers entered camp planning to have the former MVP at second base with Lux at shortstop. The latter’s inconsistent throwing accuracy this spring changed the equation, as Roberts acknowledged last night.
There’s no question about Betts’ premium athleticism and overall defensive acumen. Still, this is a notable bet to place on a player with so little infield experience at the MLB level. Betts didn’t play the infield regularly as a major leaguer until last season. The Dodgers gave him 485 innings at second base and 98 frames at shortstop. Betts drew a strong +6 grade from Defensive Runs Saved at the keystone. Statcast, on the other hand, estimated he was one run below par. His sample as a shortstop is too small to draw significant conclusions, although he was charged with three errors there against only two errors at second base.
That Betts immediately played a solid second base after spending most of his 10-year MLB career in right field offers some optimism about his chances of handling the left side of the infield. Yet it’s clearly not what the Dodgers intended coming into camp. Betts had at least had ample second base experience during his time as a prospect in the Red Sox’s system, logging almost 2000 innings there before being pushed to the outfield thanks to the presence of Dustin Pedroia. His minor league shortstop experience consisted of 13 starts between rookie and short-season ball in 2011-12.
The left side infield defense becomes an important storyline for the Dodgers. Betts will be joined on most days by third baseman Max Muncy, a below-average defender who’s in the lineup for his bat. The Dodgers have a few shortstop-capable options off the bench. Miguel Rojas is a plus defender. Enrique Hernández and Chris Taylor can log shortstop action as part of their utility responsibilities. Rojas hasn’t produced much offensively over the past two seasons, though, while neither Hernández nor Taylor is a good fit for everyday shortstop work.
Lux will move back to second base. He has spent the majority of his MLB career there after moving off shortstop as a prospect. That was partially because the Dodgers had Corey Seager and Trea Turner, respectively, through the 2022 season. It was also a reflection of anxiety-related throwing issues that Lux battled when he was a prospect. Public defensive metrics have graded him as an above-average second baseman. His throwing has been less of an issue on the right side of the diamond. He has plus range for the position.
Keeping Lux in the starting lineup at all is a calculated move on the Dodgers’ part to maximize their offense. They could have bumped him to the bench or optioned him to Triple-A once they determined he wasn’t a viable shortstop. That would have allowed them to keep Betts at second and install Rojas back into the lineup. Doing so would have subtracted a promising bat. The lefty-swinging Lux had a solid .276/.346/.399 line over 471 plate appearances in 2022, making him a much better offensive contributor than Rojas is. He missed all of last season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during Spring Training.
Roberts indicated that Betts could occasionally slide back to second base on days when Lux is out of the lineup. That’d most frequently come against left-handed pitching and allow a right-handed hitter like Rojas, Hernández or Taylor to step in at shortstop. They could also time those substitutions to improve the infield defense when they’re starting a ground-ball pitcher like Bobby Miller. L.A. has a few key high-grounder relievers (e.g. Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Ryan Brasier) who’d also benefit from a better defensive alignment behind them late in games.
Well Mookie has had
Acting Lessons
Dancing Lessons
Singing Lessons
He is a big star
So he should be okay…maybe
Stupid move. He’s getting injured this season. I’ll predict a rib injury from constantly stretching and diving for balls.
Agreed. Risk seems higher than the reward. A better move would be to forego offense and make the entire defense stronger.
Rib injury from constantly stretching and diving for balls hahahaha are you being serious? People actually liked this comment lol.
Why you would you risk the league MVPs bat? He’ll be playing a premium defensive position, leave that to another player.
He has already shown to be a plus defender at 2nd base. Why do you think it is such a stretch for a good 2B to play SS?
Lefty – Depends on whether you go by DRS or Statcast. They couldn’t be more contradictory.
Tell me again why people put so much stock in defensive analytics?
Well my focus was on all the lessons Mookie has received
Fever, Even the people that compile these defensive metrics say small samples can be very misleading, and that it usually takes a minimum of two full seasons to get any kind of accurate assessment. Mookie has played only 98 innings at SS. And though he’s played more 2B, his career total of 713 at 2B equals, at best, only about 3/4s of a full season.
I think Betts will be fine, I think it’s Lux that the Dodgers should be worried about. Steve Sax had huge problems throwing from 2B. Just being closer doesn’t solve a throwing problem.
Steve Sax last played in 1994 are you really using him as anecdotal evidence for Gavin Lux based off a few spring training gms coming of ACL surgery?
What does the passage of time have to do with infielders having issues throwing to 1B? The game may have changed, but players still have the same issues. I realize it’s a small sample, and I never said Lux has the throwing yips like Sax did.
Sax wasn’t the only one with throwing issues. Chuck Knoblauch also had issues playing 2B. My point was, that if, Lux has the throwing yips, and again, I didn’t say he did, moving him to 2B is not going to solve the problem.
Good fricking question!
*Couple perfect bowled games as well
He is a good bowler also. He could bounce some throws over to 1B. If they ask him to consider catching it is time to say NO and put your foot down.
damn, that’s a huge shift. I’m confident in his ability to play well enough there though.
Sure, but I’m far less confident in his ability to survive the daily rigors of SS.
This seems almost… stupid on the Dodgers part. Rough tie for ‘best player in the game’ but who began having durability problems at age 25 and had a severe dropoff at 28 and only just fully regrouped in 2022, so ‘let’s throw him into SS at age 31 and see what happens’?
Yeah, I think ‘stupid’ is probably the right word.
Almost as dumb as letting Acuna Jr put personal stats in a Little League rules change year ahead of the team’s interests. 40-70 wowed the 12 years olds! But, hey, run until you tear it, buddy. You and Mauricio can enjoy the game from the stands.
Durability problems – nope
Severe drop off – nope
The whole Acuna paragraph – nonsensical
Might want to temper the ‘stupid’ comments…
That’s exactly why I stopped drinking gin. Too many annoying instances where I had to explain my behavior, and the harder I tried, the worse it got.
All that money, all those signings, and no real shortstop. Pretty weird.
And just two years ago they had two of the best in the game.
And if they kept one of them they wouldn’t have Freeman and who knows but I doubt Admiral Yamamoto would be on an east coast team or still in Japan.
There are a couple that are fermenting in the minor leagues. They’ll be ok.
Will they? That’s a pretty big whole to overcome.
hole
I saw that after posting. No edit button to correct it.
Um, who besides Sweeney, who is meh? I see a few guys in rookie ball, but that’s not a near term plan.
Dodgers best 2 SS prospects are in rookie ball. Vargas and Morales.
SD been hoarding all the SS
I take a different line in
Having the ability to have your superstar being able to play any position asked without the sass back is a beautiful luxury not found in too may places today
What the Dodgers severely lacked from the Karros to Adrian Gonzalez years was a guy of Mookie’s ilk, leadership and demeanor
I feel more blessed today in Mookie than disappointed in Lux….tho I know that doesn’t sell much today
@cap
As a Giants fan (not so) secretly rubbing his hands together for the potential crack in the armor of the Dodgers, I can’t help but acknowledge you’ve got a good one in Mookie.
People jumped all over me when I said it before but this Dodgers team is a powder keg.
They have what appears to be some genuinely good guys on the team so I don’t want them to fail but it’s such a high risk game they are playing.
Betts moving off position
Ohtani having Tommy John’s
Buehler Tommy John’s
May major surgery
Kershaw shoulder surgery
Glasnow always an injury risk
Lux has been fine at second but is coming off a major injury.
Muncy isn’t a strong defender at third.
Well said Cap!!
I don’t think it’s that rare for a superstar to be willing to play different positions without sass. I do think that it’s rare for a superstar to be versatile enough defensively moving them all over is a realistic option. I’m still not sure Mookie is either, but he’ll certainly hit enough to survive anywhere.
I’m no fan of the dodgers as a giants fan, but mookie has done some pretty amazing things in the few innings he’s played at ss, I think he’ll be perfectly cromulent there until they find some diamond in the rough they always seem to pull out of nowhere
Nice vocabulary
No worries, they’ll trade for Bichette this offseason or at the deadline if the Jays are faltering.
They’ll trade for Adames, cheaper and better fit for them.
That was quick.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirms reports the team is planning on giving Ohtani a few reps behind home plate this Spring & if things go as planned he will become his own battery mate whenever he’s ready to resume pitching. Ohtani was quoted as saying, “Sure, it’s a tough gig but it’s still beats pitching for the Angels.” Ahahaha!
Dumb and lame. Congrats!
I’m kind of sensitive to criticism wolf boy, especially from maroons, so poof, you’re muted, canceled, gone! Ahahaha!
NYC- if a cartoon like Bugs Bunny could do it then Ohtani should be able to pull it off
@grnmtnyeti, that’s really funny you should say that because as I was writing it that’s the image that popped in my head. Ahahaha!
noice
Pretty shocking. Wonder how long it will last.
Until July 31, 2024, give or take
That’s one theory. The other is if he looks loose playing 2B they’ll start giving him some innings at SS and see if it translates..
Fred – On that date Mayer takes over at SS during a lost season for the Red Sox, and Story goes to the Dodgers for salary relief and a fringe AA pitcher. Dodgers don’t care if Story doesn’t hit, all they need is his glove.
They already have that guy. His name is Rojas.
Not really. Mookie played 16 games at shortstop last year and his metrics were good. This is exactly what I was hoping they would do.
I am a big fan of Betts, but this is a stretch. Playing SS at the big league level is difficult even for an athlete of Betts’ skills. Maybe it is temporary, but how could the Dodgers spend all that cash and nor but a viable defense on the infield reeks of stupidity.
I totally agree. Lux’s poor play with the Quakes resulted in the organization moving him to second 4 years ago. For some reason they counted on him moving back to ss before the 23 season and did it once again this year. What happened that made them think he could magically handle ss in the big leagues? Very strange. Not only that, but they’ve had a couple years to acquire a replacement for Seager and failed to do it. Now they’re forced to move Mookiebto short. As for Betts, based on what I saw last year I have no doubt he can play the position well. Interestingly, Roberts was quoted as saying “Betts move to short is permanent for now.” There may be something else brewing.
Yeah. I’m sure Dodger Management cares what “spudchukar” thinks.
Yeah, that answer was enlightening.
It is rare that I comment on posts this inane, but seeing how you called me out by name, I will choose to respond. Are so single-minded that you cannot understand how ridiculous your post is. You basically said any poster regardless of team preference couldn’t offer an opinion, critical or not, to an organization. Yes, the Dodger brass won’t consider my thoughts on the Betts’ switch, but then I doubt if they will be listening to your insigficant drivel.
Nobody has a cristal ball, but I think it is unlikely that Betts will still be playing ss every day by June 1st.
What about ‘permanent for now’ is confusing?
/s
3 errors in 16 games is atrocious
Betts earned a good +6 score in defensive runs saved at ss in 2023 (98 innings). Seems reasonable to think his numbers will only get better as he fans experience.
@leftcoaster
Where exactly are you getting that number? Looking on FanGraphs shows that he was worth: 0 DRS, -2 OAA, -2 RAA, and -8.8 UZR/150 in those 98 innings (16 games; 12 of which were starts)
Granted that the negative UZR is based entirely on -1.7 ErrR (on account of 3 E in those 98 innings), so it’s “technically” not impossible for that to be cleaned up
If I’m a betting man, though, I’m not putting my money on a 31 y.o. whose last game experience at SS was 13 games in Low-A ball almost 11-12 years ago
My mistake, the +6 is from paragraph 3 of the article above. That was his score from his time at second. It further explains the sample size is too small to provide a DRS score. Sorry about that.
@@leftcoaster
All Gucci, everybody makes mistakes! Fielding metrics will always be a challenge to get a gage on for those who don’t spend the time to dig into them (and it’s still a challenge for those who do)
It generally takes 2-3 years of data to get a proper baseline of a player’s talent level; due to the nature of fielding generally being a “young man’s game”, the true talent of a player can slip by the time that samples stabilize.
I’d still consider modern metrics more useful than traditional fielding metrics like Fielding%, because that makes no effort to take into account the actual skills of a player (like range, arm quality, route efficiency, ability to turn the DP, etc.)
If the Dodgers are serious about this move, it’s a crazy idea, that has little chance of working out.
@Phree4u 2 in 16 games would be Ozzie Smith territory when he was winning GGs, and they’re playing on ST fields, not in-season ones.
That particular stat tells us next to nothing.
@Left, Mookie’s #s at SS were average in that small sample size. They were however great at 2B.
The bigger issue is if Mookie were to continue to play SS at an avg level, they lose the added value of his glove in OF or 2B. Considering the importance of SS though having him fill the hole even at an average level might be what’s best for the team.
Personally I think Taylor at SS is the best short-term solution for them.
I can’t think of anyone who could do this well other than him.
Padres get an outfielder, can move Xander back to ss. Merrill can play lf and Outman cf.
Dodgers get a gold glove ss and can bring Lux off the bench.
Kim and Outman have similar numbers, close in age and Dodgers can afford to extend Kim.
Inner division trades between the Pads and Dodgers never happen but this one makes sense.
Meant Kim for Outman
Man, I know James Outman has 5 years of control but I’m not terribly confident he’ll even be a relevant big leaguer though in 5 years based on him being a 26 year old rookie last year and striking out 32% of the time.
Fast forward a year and Kim could be one of the most sought after free agents and Outman could be a one & done.
I’ll take Kim and a comp pick if he leaves over that swap. Not to mention trading one of the most popular players on the team to the Dodgers of all teams should be a non starter.
If he’s doing that at 26 the tendency is to improve that at least a little at 27 and 28 rather than simply get worse. Still, his K rate in the minors wasn’t exactly heartening in this regard.
@padrepapi you are crazy if you think the Padres wouldn’t take a straight up swap of Kim for Outman. The Dodgers won’t do it, so it’s a moot point
I could see SD doing that, it would save some payroll, which is important to them, and they’ll probably lose him at the end of the season.
Not sure the Dodgers would though. Even though Kim plays a more important position, he has only one year of control. Outman has 5 years of team control.
The Dodgers might possibly do it if SD threw in a prospect, and Kim agreed to an extension pre-trade, but otherwise I don’t see it happening.
Kim for Outman
Dodgers aren’t trading 5 years of Outman for 1 of Kim.
Since when is money an issue for the Dodgers.
Dodgers could immediately extend Kim.
They could sign him once he reaches free agency if they actually want him. No need to trade on of our best up and coming players for Kim.
Spending a ton is not a sign that a team will continue to spend a ton. Spending a ton is actually a sign that they will have to chill out for a bit.
They can probably get Adames from the Brewers for much less
Lmao! At least Lux wont bounce it to first anymore.
At least Lux makes millions while you.. do whatever it is you do for minimum wafez. Lmao
Man, you’re salty.
did you see the throw he bounced from about 20 feet from freddie today?? seems like this was spoken too soon
“Permanent, for now” – Dave, that’s not how “permanent” works
No, but that’s how I wouldn’t tell you even if knew works.
welcome to dave’s world. he’s real smart. just ask him.
Wasn’t that a Yogi Berra quote?
It’s the most famous thing he never said.
HTF
That’s exactly how permanent works. SInce, basically nothing is permanent.
Mookie would give up a few million to be 6 ft and have hair
Roberts is unbelievable! Lux had 10 1/3 innings in ST, after being out for a YEAR with multiple leg injuries. Now, our best player is moved into a reasonably unfamiliar position at SS, which could mess up his offensive game. SS is a tough position and Betts, while a terrific player and competitor, will need to learn it pretty much on the fly. Roberts always finds a way to screw things up!
They don’t do this unless Mookie is on board. You make it seem like he’s being forced to play there.
News flash: Managers don’t make rosters.
Blue: news flash: Managers do make lineups.
Sorry I was responding to what you said. My bad.
“Roberts always finds a way”…most likely this decision was made for Roberts by the front office. As long as Mookie buys in, Robert’s opinion really isn’t necessary or important. That’s the way MLB works these days, the manager is removed from a lot of strategy and decision making.
Mookie buys into everything. He is a team player. This is an incredibly dumb move.
This is probably just a way to give lux some more runway on his return to competitive baseball. If he looks good at second he’ll be rotated into SS at some point. If he doesn’t, well it wouldn’t matter anyways.
Fox
“Roberts is unbelievable! ”
You think this is Roberts and not the entire coaching staff/front office?
Unbelievable!
What is unbelievable my silly friend is your unwillingness to think that 30 people or so all sat down and said, “ let’s take our best player, put him in to an unfamiliar position and see how that goes.” As opposed to letting Lux have some more time to work things out. Of course they have an outstanding defensive SS in Rojas but, no, we are going to move the most indispensable guy to SS. What could go wrong? The Dodgers won 100 games with Rojas at SS but we have set our sights on 112 so it’s Betts or nothing.
Fox
I definitely think it was 30 people or so that had input into this decision – not just one.
To think Roberts just does whatever he wants without discussing with the front office is, yes, unbelievably silly.
Just a few days ago I posted here that I thought the Dodgers should stick with Lux at SS and that he could not be bad enough to cost the team the playoffs or the division.
The team definitely knows more than I do and thinks that moving him off of SS for now is the best idea. Second is the only other place for him in the lineup and that moves Mookie to SS.
This isn’t how I would have drawn it up. I also have questions. But I don’t assume the answers to all those questions are negative – that would silly.
This front office has obviously proved itself capable and I give them the benefit of the doubt.
That said, if Lux starts 2024 in AAA, and Rojas is the the SS, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. Nor would I be surprised if the team aquires another SS before the season
But there’s nothing wrong with trying this out for a while to see how it goes or if a little time at 2b helps Lux out
Agree. Could have easily been dozens of staff from on the field and in the FO with input here. Just like Dodger Blue does with all player evaluations. Which tweaks my curiousity as to if there were any dissenters when determining if Ohtani was a team fit. 2 TJ surgeries, shifting all SPs to a 6 man rotation to accommodate him. Really. Geez, seems risky.
You need to log out and use your burner account to like your own comments, as you normally do.
Lux still can’t field the ball or throw accurately, so best he go to AA. Vargas, Taylor would be better at 2B.
AA. Anaheim Angels?
10 1/3 innings so throw him to the curb. What might be the root cause of the Dodgers winning only one WS in the last 10-11 years? What is the common denominator ? Manager? Nah that is too obvious. Must be that Betts wasn’t playing SS.
He’s gonna get worn out. Move him back to RF and get a real SS. Cut out all this foolishness.
Like who?
Miguel Rojas should be our shortstop. We don’t need every guy in the lineup to be an offensive stud. We won 100 games with him there last year and our team is much better this year.
Javy Baez and 80 percent of salary for a 45 grade
Are the Dodgers broke and can’t afford him?
BS! Javy straight up for anyone and no throw in money, Dodgers can eat his salary, Tigers would be celebrating
he’ll be fine. betts is a generational athlete and i’m just thankful he’s no longer playing the yankees 18 times a year
He won’t be fine at ss, for an entire year. The chances of that working out, are very slim!!
Yes, he will be fine. The chances of working out are pretty good.
Friedman messed up. He should have known that Lux would need a year in AAA. Don’t be cheap now. Trade for Adames. This is not the season to cheap out.
There’s nothing cheap about this dodgers team. Oh and BTW, it would be nice if u could just snap your fingers, and trade for any player of need. 😉
That said in hindsight, they could of not signed a 20m OF, and allocated those funds to SS.
Dodgers right back to where they started when they planned on moving Betts to 2B to save his legs more. All this to accommodate Lux who has never proven himself at the MLB level.
Oh wow, I didn’t realize how little infield experience Betts had before last year, his 1oth season. He only had parts of 30 games at 2b before that.
It is super rare, perhaps unprecedented for a 31 year old to move so far up the defensive spectrum, from RF to SS.
I guess this means Fernando Tatis Jr. has the RF GG locked up for 2024, if not the next 5 years at least.
Unless he gets ring worm again.
This may end up with Vargas at 2nd and Lux at AAA?
They added Ohtani on offense and are worried about more offense? Just play Rojas at SS (he isn’t much of a hitter, but he can play a solid SS).
Time to trade Lux now, get what you can, Slide Rojas back in and let him be the bridge for the kids in the minors…..for now. Mookie is a stud, but short stop is a different beast on a body
Dumb. Drop Lux to AAA for a month – let him get innings at SS.
Agree, 3 weeks could do Lux some good in a low pressure environment
Vargas probably gets the nod but I wouldn’t mind Pages getting the known 3 week look and Vargas starting in AAA either to get settled
I’m sure the Dodgers never thought of that.
The Dodgers are so nebulous it’s laughable.
Time to make that trade for Adames. Lux and more for Adames. It’s more about preserving Bett’s health.
But the Dodgers are hardly on a position of power. The Brewers could ask for a bundle, and I don’t know if they have the depth in the organization to entice the Brewers.
I don’t know if the Brewers would be interested in Lux, they’ll probably take a couple of pitching prospects, nothing top tier
Love it! Go Mookie!
Doh’kay, “former” player. Previously known as _______.
I’m waiting for him to catch on Smith’s days off.
Couldn’t the Dodgers just buy another superstar replacement?
As long as Mookie can make the routine play, it’s all good. Don’t see why he can’t. We know he has plenty or arm as well so maybe he can make the tough ones, too. Lux can’t.
I love that this is news. Spoiled LA fake fans need something to worry about for their perfect superstar purchased team.
It’s not inconceivable that Betts is a better shortstop than Lux. If not, they can switch back any time. This decision is not important until it has to be made in October.
How are they going to replace his arm from RF? That, alone, is a huge asset.
posted on wrong post. Mostly unrelated, but what is the luxury tax hit for the 2040 Dodgers for Ohtani, Betts and Freeman? They will be paid $68,000,000 + $11,000,000 + $5,000,000 in “deferred salary” that year.
I don’t think there is any hit. If I read Spotrac right, Ohtani’s luxury tax hit is $46 million annually through the end of the 2023 season.
spotrac.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/shohei-ohtani-…
Deferred payments do not count against the luxury tax. I still don’t quite understand how they calculate the annual luxury tax hit for deferred contracts, but either way, the year the player stops being under team control is the year the luxury tax hit stops.
Note this is not the same as a player being traded away or released, but the team eating the contract. In that case, the luxury tax hit remains in place. I would know being a Padre fan. (Happy retirement, Eric Hosmer.)
Fun times in Lalaland!
Why not just put Rojas at SS and put Lux in AAA until he can figure out his defense?? Sure he can’t hit much but i rather Mookie stay at 2B (preferably the OF though) The whole reason for the move was cause 2B was easier on his body. Not sure its worth all this to have Lux/Hayward in the lineup. We need some defense, i dread an infield with Muncy and Lux. Freeman is gonna get injured trying to save their bad throws.
No need for Eddys Leonard, eh?
What a mess…
Well said!
If only these guys had had some money to spend this offseason, they could have signed a proven shortstop.
In all fairness to the Dodgers, exactly who would’ve been a viable candidate to start at the 6 (and could be signed as a FA)?
mlb.com/news/2023-24-mlb-free-agents-by-position
SHORTSTOPS
Amed Rosario (28 years old, 2.9 WAR) — signed 1-year deal with TB (Feb. 20)
Brandon Crawford (37, 2.6) — signed 1-year deal with STL (Feb. 27)
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (29, 1.6) — signed 2-year deal with TOR (Dec. 29)
Tim Anderson (31, 1.5) — signed 1-year deal with MIA (Feb. 24)
José Iglesias (34, 1.0) — signed MiLB deal with NYM (Dec. 5)
Paul DeJong (30, 0.4) — signed 1-year deal with CWS (Nov. 28)
Nick Ahmed (34, 0.3) — signed MiLB deal with SF (Feb. 26)
Joey Wendle (34, 0.3) — signed 1-year deal with NYM (Nov. 30)
Garrett Hampson (29, 0.2) — signed 1-year deal with KC (Nov. 29)
Adalberto Mondesi (28, 0.0)
Danny Mendick (30, 0.0) — signed MiLB deal with CWS (Feb. 5)
Ehire Adrianza (34, -0.7) — signed MiLB deal with LAA (Feb. 17)
Kiké Hernández (32, -0.9) — signed 1-year deal with LAD (Feb. 27)
Chris Owings (32, -0.9) — signed MiLB deal with LAD (Feb. 7)
I was mostly just goofing on how the Dodgers didn’t have any money to spend this offseason. Small market teams have to make do somehow, I know.
I am sure Gavin Lux seemed like an entirely serviceable option going in, to be fair. The penny pinchers in blue had every reason to think his 1.8 defensive rating from 2022 would hold up.
I don’t know if this is going to work but what a gamer from Mookie… 31 years old and decade into his career and he’s just now being use as utility man.
Someone who plays almost every day isn’t a utility man.
Betts won’t be there all season. And as for this being based on 10 innings, don’t forget that they do work on back fields and this isn’t a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction type of move. Who’s to say Lux doesn’t figure it out at some point and ends up back at ss…
Lux has position of SS has been deferred til he learns how to play there.
???
Perfect. Now Lux can be Sax.
Lux isn’t the same as Sax. Lux’s throws are consistently low. Sax and Knoblach’s were all over the place.
billion dollar roster with a cobbled together infield.
And OF
Sounds like the Dodgers need Javier Baez. Tigers will trade him for a Gavin Lux rookie card.
The Dodgers aren’t paying for the honor to take out the Tigers’ trash.
No one is unfortunately. Unless he turns it around and even bats league average no one in their right mind would take him on. He is currently worthless until he shows otherwise.
The move is “permanent—for now”, says it all. Friedman will make a deal for a SS, I suspect. Quite likely, Gavin gets included in that deal. Seems as if Mookie prefers to play 2B.
The Tigers will dump Javi and have accountants depreciate 2/3 of his salary. Someone *might* take a chance on picking up the other $8 Million annually.
I wonder who Bob McAdoo’s agent was because it looks like the same play…
I wonder if that means mlb network will finally add Ozzie to the mlb top 10 second basemen where he belonged. It was pathetic they didn’t have him on there to begin with.
That’s one way to keep Kike from playing SS
“Permanent for now”
Sounds like a manager that’s taking orders from the front office, waiting for the next decision the FO is going to make for him.
they could put Freeman at short and still win the west.
Perfect post. There’s a lot of bed-wetting in this thread.
When is Betts going to pitch? I heard he threw a complete game no-hitter in little league so he should be good at the MLB level.
L
M
F
A
O
“Permanent, for now”
Classic quote
The permanent for now quote came from a reporter. Roberts smiled and said that sounds about right.
This is true. Too bad MLBTR didn’t pick up on this. It just gave ammo to fans who rag on Roberts no matter what he says or doesn’t say, does or doesn’t do. In the full interview Roberts also makes it pretty clear that the move is intended to give Lux some time to get his legs back under him.
Everything will be fine!!! We have Rojas and at the by my predictions lux will be flipped by the trade deadline.
Good news for fantasy baseball players who have Mookie on their team
They see these guys in practice everyday so u have to trust their judgment. If Betts is up4 it then do it. U don’t think if @trade deadline SS/2b is an issue that Friedman won’t spend some of his prospect capital to fix it ? This team like in the last 5yrs will coast during regular season. If worse thing bout em is some unsettled inf positioning then they’ll be fine. Like Lux @2b, he’s not athletic enough to play SS in mlb. Go Dodgers !
Yeah baby
Hasn’t Lux bounced FIVE throws to Freeman at first in 2-3 games ?
Steve Sax / Blass / Sasser / Ankiel / Wholers “yips” coming on ?
This team is working real hard to accommodate Jason Heyward.
LOL. Nailed it.
Just give time, most big league front offices will find a way to screw things up.
Mookie 4 MVP all you early draft leagues are taking this to the bank right now
Yikes! Sounds desperate… couldn’t the Dodgers buy an ACTUAL shortstop on the FA market? Even signing Tim Anderson would’ve made more sense than this move.
The Red Sox trading Mookie for garbage rather than throwing the bank at him is blatantly worse long-term for the organization than the Babe Ruth trade. At least with Ruth, the Sox had only just started to tap into his hitting potential. The Sox have only resembled a lost organization since this embarrassment.
If he is a serviceable shortstop than he will be all star and clear path to be a hall of famer
About this Dodger juggernaut team.
Buehler; 2 T.J.’s
May; 2 T.J.’s
Glasnow; 1 T.J.
Gonsolin; 1 T.J.
Kershaw; shoulder surgery
Ohtani; 2 T.J.’s
Graterol; shoulder, arm troubles at times
Yamamoto, untested in MLB and now the infield, 2nd, 3rd & S.S. are very questionable! Very weak on defense!
The outfield? Not top drawer there either! Several question marks, time will tell there also.
If the injury bug bites & bites hard, oh-boy.
No, I wouldn’t say this team strikes fear into its opponents. In fact, if they make the playoffs I can see them getting bounced out again in the first round!
Just not impressed with the F.O. management.
Hope I’m wrong but it feels like Deja vu all over again.
If the Dodgers had any sense they’d trade Betts for a light hitting fourth outfielder with an attitude problem, a backup catcher, and a career minor leaguer. No vision in LA – a franchise like Boston would know what to do.
much as he makes, he should play both positions “at the same damn time”
They should put Dustin May at SS. He’s a pretty reliable solid player…
I’ve been a fan of Lux and I’m still hoping he gets it together. But it’s almost scary to think what we could have gotten for him back in 2018-19 when he was involved in trade rumors. Hindsight 100%
This is why prospects are just prospects at the end of the day. Even the most highly rated ones. GMs should be trading more of their prospects for more sure thing players. Given the low rate of success, prospects are more like trading chips. Gotta know when to get more value for them and when to flip them.
You’d think with payroll the Dodgers have, they could figure out a starting lineup. It’s a stupid move from a ‘veteran’ mgr. Don’t care how much athleticism Mookie has, you don’t just throw someone to SS at this late ST time. And Lux is also changing. My prediction is disaster.
I’d rather move Betts to RF, Lux to 2B and Rojas to SS. Seems like path of least resistance. That may still happen. You worry about Betts taking stress of SS to the plate and how that impacts his offense.
Lux has played plenty of 2B. He’s not great there either but much better than SS. You do worry though that he has a minor case of the yips.
Sans a miraculous turnaround/breakout season at 2b or depth crippling injuries, I suspect Lux’s time with the Dodgers will be coming to an end and he will be in another organization at this time in 2025. Lux might need to play in an environment w/ less pressure. Pressure sometimes makes diamonds, most often it bursts pipes.
Dodgers need to trade Lux and/or prospects to Boston for Trevor Story. One year rental – bat him 9th and benefit from his good defense
Not sure why they’d do this when they’ve already got Rojas. Story also wouldn’t be a one year rental His current contract runs for five more seasons.
They’ll defer his contract too duh
Duh is more right than you know.
It’s my sense, and just my opinion, that Mookie at shortstop is not a sustainable solution. It is the most demanding position on the field. If he plays there, he’s going to be below average as a defender. Moreover, he will be subjected to a much higher risk of injury, and I think the demands of the position would impact him offensively. None of that makes sense to me long-term. he is just too valuable to be treated as a utility player and he’s so extraordinarily good at right field and second base, they just have to get him back to one of those positions I think.
If they bring in Adames or some other shortstop and keep Lux, that moves Mookie back to right field. I’m fine with that and actually prefer that option. It means, though that Heyward becomes a very expensive depth piece.
It seems to me that the most logical solution here is to send Gavin to Milwaukee. He’s from Wisconsin, and he would probably realize his potential as a second baseman and hitter if he were allowed to play and establish himself in that low stress environment.
Personally, I think Lux is actually more valuable than Adames and if they send Lux to Milwaukee, they should actually get more than Adames back. Adames is a free agent after this season and Lux is under control for three more years. The problem is that Milwaukee smells blood in the water and now they probably can get a bidding war going with the Yankees. Not an optimal situation. I trust Friedman though in this environment. I don’t believe he will panic. As long as they don’t let Doc make the decisions, they’ll be fine. Ha ha.
LUX SUCKS LOL
The Lux strategy has blown up in Friedman’s face. I’ve said this before that the Dodgers were never going to sign Seager long-term after obtaining Trea Turner, and same for Turner because they were going with cheaper Lux option. Then I saw Lux play some SS in 2022 and was underwhelmed with his range and arm for SS, and had some real concerns. Now, what is going on with Lux is not only his shortcomings as a SS but also a case of the yips. Whether he ever gets back to SS is anyone’s guess. He was always a bat before glove player but now the bat needs to be even better. Helps to be in 2B though. Which begs the question if the Dodgers should have instead opted for Seager or Turner at SS. Probably would have meant no Freeman though.
Sounds like a stretch
Trade Gavin Lux for Javier Baez.
The Dodgers look more like they need a 3B. Max Muncy doesn’t look very good there. Kike can play 3B