Gavin Lux finally says goodbye to Dodgers in emotional post after trade to Reds

World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees - Game 5
World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees - Game 5 | Elsa/GettyImages

After the Dodgers came out of nowhere to sign KBO star Hyeseong Kim, Gavin Lux's departure from the team when LA made a trade with the Reds felt pretty inevitable. Kim is a defensive jack-of-all-trades, and though it's unclear how his bat will translate from KBO, Lux's defense and his early-season performance at the plate left a lot to be desired.

The Dodgers stood by him all season in 2024, even with a lot of calls to let him go, and they finally caved in the offseason when the Reds dangled something that was invaluable to LA at the time — international bonus pool money. Cincinnati sent over outfield prospect Mike Sirota, a draft pick, and bonus pool money when the Dodgers' offseason was all about getting Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers pulled off a couple trades of this nature, which allowed them to not only get Sasaki, but to sign a plethora of other international prospects.

However, Lux was one of very few homegrown guys left on the roster. He was a first-round draft pick in 2016, had spent five seasons in the majors with the Dodgers, and was a part of two World Series-winning teams. It only makes sense that the guy would feel some kind of way about getting traded.

He posted an official goodbye to the Dodgers on Instagram on Wednesday, which hit fans in their feels as they remembered the days of Lux being the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball.

Gavin Lux posts official goodbye to Dodgers weeks after trade to Reds

After floundering from April through June, he turned things around in July and August, hitting .297 with a .907 OPS before slumping a little again in September. He was mostly a non-factor in the postseason too, but he did drive in the Dodgers' game-tying run in Game 5 of the World Series with a sac fly, which was quickly mirrored by Mookie Betts to get ahead of the Yankees.

Lux appeared on MLB Network after the trade went down, where he struggled to make it seem like he was excited about it at all about joining the Reds. And who could blame him? He spent the entirety of his professional career with the Dodgers and was traded to a team that has only five playoff appearances since winning the World Series in 1990. The guy definitely deserves to mourn a little.

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