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It already seemed like Gavin Lux‘s time in Los Angeles was on thin ice — due to Mookie Betts‘ move to the infield, Hyeseong Kim being signed, and even Teoscar Hernandez returning — but now it seems that ice has broken.
The Cincinnati Reds are finalizing a deal to acquire infielder Gavin Lux from the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 6, 2025
Lux is on his way to Cincinnati, where he’ll attempt to replace Jonathan India, whom the Reds sent to the Royals for Brady Singer early in the offseason.
The 27-year-old second baseman posted a .251/.320/.383/.703 line in 2024, which is almost identical to his career line of .252/.326/.383/.709. In about three full seasons worth of plate appearances, he has compiled 5.5 WAR, making him a mostly average platoon second baseman. Lux does have two years of arbitration left before free agency, which might be the biggest boost to his value for the Reds. Yes, he had a nice 2-month stretch to show he still has some potential with the bat, but with general inconsistencies at the plate, poor performance against left-handed pitching, and some shaky (at times) defense, it’s easy to see why the Dodgers are moving on from him.
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When the Dodgers signed Hyeseong Kim last week, the writing was truly on the wall for Lux, and I speculated as much.
“I’m still not buying Mookie Betts as the Dodgers’ full-time shortstop. So, I’m thinking the Dodgers are bringing Kim in with at least the hope he can be the primary shortstop — at least, against right-handed pitching (with Edman playing short against lefties). This should about put to bed any of the Nolan Arenado nonsense, but also should have Gavin Lux on full alert.
Lux is definitely a “vibes” guy — not at level of Kiké, but no one really is. He came back from the gruesome knee injury a couple years ago and hasn’t quite regained that offensive output he once displayed (save for a 45-game stretch from July to September) and had his struggles at times, defensively, at second base. And that’s a bit of a problem as a 2B-only option for a team that covets versatility. Sure, he has played shortstop and the outfield in his career, but not well and not recently.”
Despite designating Diego Cartaya for assignment to make room for Kim, it seemed Lux was still a prime candidate to be moved and that has come to fruition now.
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In return the Dodgers are acquiring a somewhat familiar name in Mike Sirota. Now, it may not be a super familiar name with the non-prospectors (myself included), but the Dodgers selected him in the 16th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of The Frederick Gunn School in Connecticut. He opted to attend Northeasten University and the Reds popped him in the third round of the most recent draft.
Here is part of MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on the projectable, 21-year-old, right-handed hitting outfielder.
“Lean, athletic and strong, Sirota has an intriguing collection of tools. He has plus bat speed with excellent bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate, though his timing was off for much of the spring, keeping him from squaring up the ball as consistently as he has in the past. There’s raw power for him to tap into — he had 18 homers in his sophomore season — and when combined with his plus speed, he has 20-20 potential at the highest level.”
Pipeline goes onto say he’s a legitimate center field option due to his speed and instincts. So, it’ll be good to get him into the developmental system for real this time. He seems to be a prospect the Dodgers like, and it’s hard not to trust their instincts at this point.
Here’s a look at the data from last spring of new #Dodgers OF prospect Mike Sirota, courtesy of @Antoni0u
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) January 6, 2025
Northeastern University doesn’t have the greatest competition, but this is a guy who had been mocked as a 1st rounder before eventually falling to the 3rd pic.twitter.com/oPHtWtMvbW
Sirota ranked 2nd among all draft-eligible hitters last year in @643charts swing-decision metric.
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) January 6, 2025
Aka, are you swinging at pitches you can do damage on and spitting on those you can’t?
SLG backed up last year but exit velos didn’t take a major hit. #Dodgers https://t.co/4SzNWf98G5
They also acquired the 37th overall selection in the 2025 draft. After spending lots of money and signing Blake Snell, nabbing a competitive balance round A pick is a nice coup for the Dodgers. It becomes their highest draft pick, with their original pick being pushed back to No. 40 due to payroll.
Last year, the No. 37 pick carried a $2,511,400 value, so it’ll probably end up being slightly more than that, and the Dodgers will get to add that to their overall pool (which will be determined later this year).
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It’s an unfortunate reality, but Gavin Lux really didn’t have a long-term future in LA. Yes, the Dodgers always seemed to believe in him more than most, but this is a pretty solid return for two years of a player of Lux’s caliber. While I suspect the Nolan Arenado stuff is more media driven, this could open the door slightly to some shenanigans on the Dodgers’ end. Though what I really think is Betts needs to be the primary second baseman, and the team can go with whomever — in-house or external — at shortstop. But I’m just a dumb blogger. Disregard as needed.
Thank you, No. 9. pic.twitter.com/WwARsni8FT
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 7, 2025
