Latest Mookie Betts news has Dodgers fans dreaming big on Juan Soto

Through the first months of the season, we railed against the placement of Mookie Betts at the shortstop position. Originally, the Dodgers were just going to move him to second base, which seemed like a decently safe bet, considering he came up through the minors at that position. But then Gavin Lux, coming off of a year spent on the shelf with an ACL tear, really couldn't hack it at shortstop during spring training, and the Dodgers basically just shrugged and flipped him and Betts, using the flimsy argument that "Mookie Betts is an MVP who can do anything."

By mid-June, Betts ranked last among qualified shortstops in outs above average, defensive runs above average, and fielding run value.

And then he took a fastball to the hand in a game against the Royals and was out for almost two months. When he returned, the Dodgers finally decided that they would move him back to the outfield. Miguel Rojas was batting well as the new primary shortstop, and the Dodgers had acquired Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed in the interim. We had hoped that would be the end of it.

Apparently not. At GM Meetings in San Antonio this week, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said that the Dodgers planned to reinstall Betts back into the infield. Whether that's at shortstop or second base is unclear, but it does leave an avenue for the Dodgers to pursue corner outfielders in free agency, and maybe even the most coveted of them all: Juan Soto.

Mookie Betts returning to the infield could indicate Dodgers are in on Juan Soto hunt

Prior to this news, the Dodgers' path forward through free agency seemed clear. If they kept Betts in right field, they could re-sign Teoscar Hernández in left and finally sign Willy Adames — a white whale for the front office — out of free agency to play shortstop. Maybe they wouldn't be able to get Soto, but the Dodgers had already won a World Series without him, and had chased Adames for years. It made sense.

Moving Betts could allow the Dodgers to have the best of all possible worlds. They really shouldn't move him back to shortstop, but if he goes to second, that leaves space for both Adames and Soto. It jeopardizes Lux's future with the team, but that shouldn't be much of a concern if means the Dodgers could add two of the most sought-after free agents on the market.

There are some other good corner outfield options out there — Anthony Santander, maybe even Jurickson Profar, though it seems unlikely he'd be inclined to play in LA — but it's a little hard to imagine the Dodgers doing this for any other reason than being all-in on the Soto chase. Maybe they actually can have their cake and eat it too.