Despite public assurances that Gavin Lux remained part of their plans heading into the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded their former first-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers received outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a competitive balance pick in the 2025 MLB Draft in exchange for Lux. Their return suggests the Dodgers were motivated to reduce some of the surplus of middle infielders, particularly after the signing of Hyeseong Kim.
Lux’s tenure with the Dodgers since being drafted in 2016 was somewhat inconsistent but he doesn’t harbor any sort of resentment toward the organization.
During an appearance on href=”https://www.mlb.com/video/gavin-lux-on-being-traded-to-cincinnati” target=”_blank”>MLB Network, Lux spoke fondly of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the opportunity ahead with the Reds:
“Me and Andrew have a really good relationship. We’d been together for nine, 10 years. Obviously, I don’t know all the details. I don’t know who else was in trade talks, but I agree. I think this is a really good place for me to go. Have a good opportunity to play and help some of these young guys. Hopefully I can be an open book with some of the experiences I’ve had. I’ve had a ton of ups and downs, a lot of different experiences, so hopefully I can just help out.”
The Dodgers had plans for Lux to be the club’s everyday shortstop prior to the 2023 season, but after suffering a devastating knee injury in Spring Training, his trajectory changed quite a bit.
Emerging as a role player upon returning last season, Lux stepped in as the team’s left-handed hitting option at second base. For a stretch in the second half, Lux was one of the Dodgers’ hottest hitters.
In parts of five seasons with the Dodgers, Lux batted .252/.326/.383 with 62 doubles, 14 triples, 28 home runs and 155 RBI over 412 games.
How can Gavin Lux help Reds?
The Dodgers moving off of Lux is a change for both parties, and for the 27-year-old, he gets a change of scenery with more opportunity.
Lux put up a 2.1 bWAR season in 2024, batting .251/.320/.383 with 10 home runs. His contributions in the postseason were minimal, but a sacrifice fly in Game 5 of the World Series was paramount, and a shade of how he can perform despite recent struggles.
With the Reds, Lux can work on deficiencies without the pressure he faced in Los Angeles to perform on a day-to-day basis.
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