Power ranking Dodgers’ 4 shortstop options for 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still in need of a shortstop of the future, and have been ever since the 2021-22 offseason ended with the decision kicked further down the line. It was long assumed that Corey Seager would be the be all/end all/matinee idol in Hollywood for his entire career, but after the team pivoted to Trea Turner and an awkward fit at second base at the 2021 deadline, it was clear Andrew Friedman might be considering alternatives.

Add in the lack of an extension for Turner, and it’s now even clearer that Friedman has yet to make a decision on the position. Luckily for him and the team’s brass, next offseason will be nearly as fertile for shortstops as the previous one was.

So, who’s likeliest to be a Dodger when the dust settles?

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the Dodgers staying out of last year’s shortstop cycle does not mean they avoided the elephant in the room; Carlos Correa’s deal with the Twins includes an opt-out after 2022, and considering his performance thus far, he’s very likely to test the waters again. After all, the competition didn’t scare him out of the market and into a below-market Astros extension last time, did it?

Correa’s got a spot firmly reserved on this list, though, at No. 5 — a nonexistent space, placed below the four options actually presented. Correa is a long-term expenditure waiting to happen, and he’ll need a landing spot with absolutely no leftover Astros residue involved. The Dodgers have enough on their plates for the foreseeable future; Juan Soto, for example. There will always be another superstar waiting in the wings to be a Dodger. They can freely let Correa walk to the Orioles or Cubs, in this instance.

As for the other four options, here’s how things currently line up.

Power ranking Dodgers’ 4 shortstop options for 2023

4. Gavin Lux/The Shrine of the Internals

With all due respect to Wilman Diaz or Jacob Amaya, the Dodgers will not be ready to hand their reins to a young shortstop in 2023. They are also extremely unlikely to target someone else’s stopgap.

Gavin Lux knows all too well how difficult it is for a prospect, even the highest-rated in the system or the league, to break into the Dodgers’ megalith. Time and again, established star power will reign supreme over ambition and potential. After all, this is the ’90s Yankees of the West Coast. Every season is a championship season, whether it ends in triumph or regret. Ricky Ledee and Shane Spencer found themselves discarded rather quickly from that juggernaut, too.

Lux is lucky he’s stuck around this long, and he’s proving with his breakout 2022 campaign that there will certainly be starters’ reps available to him next year … finally. He’s now joined the club.

But they’ll more than likely come at second base. The shortstop market is too fertile, yet again, for LA to try to jam Lux there on a regular basis. Sorry, kid.

3. Dansby Swanson

The Braves screwed up their 2021-22 offseason in the public eye with an historically shiny Freddie Freeman PR black eye (even if they ultimately landed on Matt Olson AND an extension, which might’ve been their preference all along).

With Alex Anthopoulos’ tears in their eyes, there’s no WAY they’re doing it again next winter.

As much fun as it is to speculate about Dansby Swanson joining his old running mate Freeman in Hollywood, the deck is stacked against the Dodgers, and Swanson is the least-likely free agent shortstop target to switch places this offseason. The Braves are well aware they need to take care of business, especially with a Georgia native and lifelong fan now in the crosshairs. One of the other organizations we’re about to discuss might not be feeling the same degree of loyalty, but the Braves? Come on. Fool us once, shame on us.

Add their current finances into the conversation, and it’s clear the Braves have plenty of wiggle room here for a long-term deal. As embarrassing as it is to say out loud, Atlanta’s chintzy long-term pacts with Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr. serve them well, here, even though both deals should’ve been voided by the United States Supreme Court. Olson’s deal is significant, but the Braves should still have plenty of room to continue this marriage.

2. Trea Turner

Trea Turner is still just 29 years old, quite possibly with his best baseball ahead of him. After his spectacular showing thus far in 2022 (133 OPS+, 2.7 WAR), why wouldn’t the team with the most ammunition be standing at the front of his free agent line?

Well, odds are they will be. It’s just still a little bit unclear how much intention Turner has of listening to them.

The early buzz on Turner’s free agency indicates that he would prefer to return to the East Coast, all things being equal. He misses Spring Training in Florida. It’s exactly the type of platitude fans get tired of hearing during the long offseason. After all, doesn’t money talk? Until it doesn’t, and Max Scherzer’s rumored desires became reality.

Nothing solid indicates Turner won’t consider calling the Dodgers home long-term, no matter how convincing Bryce Harper is in his Philadelphia pitch or how effusive his praise is for his former division rival. Philly’s probably the only reckless spender on that seaboard that poses a real threat, though the two New York squads probably can’t be ruled out (if Turner wants to give second base another try in Flushing).

Cold, hard cash from his current home could change the equation, and the way 2022 ends will also impact this chase. Does the Era of Good Feelings result in a World Series? Or does something go south in the second half? All things considered, Turner’s return is a distinct possibility, but he’ll be the most expensive option and will entertain overtures from the Phils (and Yanks?).

Which leaves us with a cheaper option who can’t wait to leave his forever home.