Dodgers: Orioles Eyeing Dustin May and Gavin Lux

Manny Machado is the biggest name available on the trade market, and the Dodgers are one of the favorites to acquire the star shortstop. Two young prospects have recently come up in trade talks. Should the Dodgers feel comfortable parting ways with them to land Machado?

It seems to be a matter of when not if Machado will be traded. With his departure from the Orioles looming this upcoming off-season, it makes perfect sense for the Orioles to deal him now and acquire prospects rather than lose him for nothing.

For a rebuilding team like the Orioles, acquiring prospects to speed up their rebuilding is the route they will take. Luckily for them, they have a multitude of teams bidding for the services of Machado. And of those teams, four have stood out as top contenders to trade for him, and all 4 have some of the best and deepest farm systems in the bigs.

It is becoming more likely that top-tier prospects are not going to be included in an eventual deal for Machado. This is because nobody really knows what he will do this upcoming off-season and giving up a top level prospect like Walker Buehler for a two-three month rental is not logical.

Thus, the current rumors have circulated around two upper-mid-level prospects in the Dodgers organization. Dustin May and Gavin Lux.

Dustin May is a big projectable right-handed pitcher. Standing at 6’6 he has the prototypical build for a pitcher. He is long and still should fill into his body as he is listed at just 180 pounds. At just 20 years old, May is already the organizations 3^rd or 4^th best pitching prospect depending on which rankings you are looking at.

May, has been good this season in Rancho Cucamonga. He has thrown 72 innings and has a 3.13 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Above all else, the kid throws strikes. Something that tends to trouble young pitchers is his command; May has walked just 13 batters in those 72 innings. He is a pitcher through and through.

His velocity currently sits at 91-92 with 2-seam action and a curveball to compliment. But like I mentioned earlier he is still filling into his frame, and an uptick in velocity would be no surprise for the 6’6 righty. He might never be the ace of a staff, but he could be a solid 2 or 3 starter and has the makeup to be in the MLB for a longtime.

Gavin Lux was a first-round selection by the Dodgers back in 2016, and that came with high expectations during his first season with the organizations. He, unfortunately, faltered under those expectations in 2017 and had a woeful season. He was supposed to be the heir to Corey Seager’s throne because people expected Seager to eventually move to third base.

After his first season, those expectations died down a bit and has sort of become lost in the shuffle of prospects and has not been getting much attention from fans, with the likes of Keibert Ruiz, Walker Buehler, Alex Verdugo and Dennis Santana all getting the shine.

Perhaps that was better for the left-handed hitting shortstop, because early into this season he has vastly improved on a bad 2017. Bumping his OPS from .693 last year to .905 this year. He has already surpassed his home run total and has done so in nearly 40 games less.

Lux is the top rated middle infield prospect in the Dodgers organization. The Dodgers have a plethora of outfield, pitching and especially catching depth, however, the middle infield has been a problem since the graduation of Corey Seager to the big league club. This lack of depth is what might be making the Dodgers hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade including Lux.

As good as Dustin May is and can be, he is a piece that is moveable because of the pitching depth available to the Dodgers. He is projectable and has already grown out of the flaws that young pitchers have, he is very polished and would be missed but moving him is something the Dodgers have the pieces to work with.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is Gavin Lux. Not many middle infield prospects are available for the Dodgers in their current farm system. However, the question is; do they really need MIF depth with Seager as the long-term shortstop?

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Yes, Lux looks to be headed in the right direction and if he continues to improve will be a very good player, but when would he get a shot to play with the Dodgers. Seager has answered any doubts there was of him being able to play MLB level shortstop. Outside from throwing issues because of his bad elbow, Seager was as reliable as they come in his 2 seasons with the Dodgers.

Seager did have Tommy John surgery, and maybe that could affect his future at shortstop, but I highly doubt that. The recovery rate from that surgery is very high, and most of those numbers are coming from pitchers who are throwing the ball much more often. So I believe Seager will be back to normal when getting back to the club.

So moving Lux and May to get Machado makes sense to me.  It may take a bit more than that to get the deal done, but if those 2 are the best pieces being moved I would pull the trigger.

The deal makes sense (other than the glaring need for relievers) for the Dodgers. It is something that could help them win now. Adding a bat like Machado to an already deep lineup is big. This would likely force Forsythe out of the lineup in favor of Chris Taylor, and that is a big reason for the interest in Machado.

Next: The Dodgers heading to Washington D.C.

They would upgrade both the shortstop and second base position with one move. Dustin May and Gavin Lux are both bright young prospects, but they are expendable pieces for the Dodgers and could help them land the biggest name on the trade market.