Did Gavin Lux trade just open door for Dodgers to reunite with fan favorite veteran?

After the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Hye-seong Kim on Friday, Gavin Lux's future in LA was immediately called into question.

Mookie Betts' move back to shortstop left the Dodgers with a crowded infield picture and Lux the only plausible odd man out. Miguel Rojas had a nice 2024 season and will be able to pick up some slack at shortstop if Betts doesn't cut it again, and Chris Taylor didn't exactly make himself an attractive trade candidate last season.

Lux struggled through the first half of the season, but he's still a former No. 1 prospect with two years of team control remaining. The Mariners, who have yet to spend a single dollar in free agency this offseason or make a notable trade, were interested in Lux in the days before he was eventually dealt to the Reds in exchange for outfield prospect Mike Sirota.

That settled the Lux question, and it cracked the door for free agent and Dodgers fan favorite Kiké Hernández's return to LA, which probably would've stayed closed if they'd kept Lux.

Before the Lux trade, David Vassegh said on AM570 that Kim's signing didn't mean the Dodgers weren't ruling out the possibility of bringing Hernández back. Now that there's actually a place for him to go, a return looks a lot more plausible.

Dodgers' Gavin Lux trade might allow Kiké Hernández to sneak back onto the roster

Even though his bat usually leaves a lot to be desired during the regular season, Hernández would offer more defensive versatility than Lux, and his inexplicable postseason prowess can't be denied. If the Dodgers aren't interested in giving Kim an everyday role at second (they've already said the plan is to use him in a superutility capacity), they'd be working with a combination of Kim/Hernández/Taylor at second while cycling each through other roles.

It's likely that Hernández will come off the free agent market cheaply (he made $4 million in 2024 and probably shouldn't expect much more for 2025) and on another one-year deal. Last year, he re-signed with the Dodgers a few days into spring training, but the team should probably shoot to give him a more gentle ramp up to baseball activities this year and get something done soon, now that the coast is clear.

Hernández has said that his priority is returning to the Dodgers. Although that seemed like bit of a pipe dream as recently as a week ago, he may be able to get his way now.