Gavin Lux receiving World Series ring from Dodgers has offseason trade hitting harder

On Monday, Gavin Lux made his return to Dodger Stadium for the first time since being traded to the Reds in the offseason. He'd already seen them for a three-game series in Cincinnati in late July, but the Dodgers waited until this home series to give him the star treatment as part of last year's World Series-winning squad.

It was clear that Lux was in danger of being traded throughout the offseason, but the Dodgers signing Hyeseong Kim completely doomed him. He was sent to the Reds in January in exchange for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a Competitive Balance pick, which they used on University of Arkansas outfielder Charles Davalan.

Since moving to Cincinnati, Lux has moved primarily to the outfield and is having a decent season — .279 average and .741 OPS. During Monday's opener, he went 1-for-2 with a walk against Emmet Sheehan.

Lux embraced his former teammates ahead of the game, and received his ring and gold Dodgers jersey and hat.

Feelings about Lux were mixed by the time he left LA, but the Reds moving him to left field probably has Dodgers fans wishing that he'd never been dealt in the first place.

Gavin Lux receives World Series ring in first return to Dodger Stadium since Reds trade

Lux is one of the worst qualified defensive left fielders in baseball and still has a negative OAA at his more limited appearances at second base, but his bat would be far more welcome in the lineup than current Dodgers left fielder Michael Conforto.

It seemed to take Lux a little while to get over being traded, which is understandable. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round in 2016, became a top prospect, and dealt with a massive injury hurdle that kept him out of the 2023 season entirely. He was supposed to be the Dodgers' shortstop of the future, and despite the fact that he became one of LA's hottest bats in the second half, they still decided that his time was up.

At the time of the trade, though, it was really the only move the Dodgers could make. He's become a regular presence in Reds lineups and seems to have found something of a groove with his new squad, so everyone should be happy, even if there are still some reasons to wish that he had remained a Dodger.