3 Dodgers whose futures are now in question after Mookie Betts' position change

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While the Winter Meetings were a bit of a bust for pretty much everyone around the league, that didn't stop Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts from making some news with his comments to the media. Not only was he the only transparent human on the planet regarding the Dodgers' obvious pursuit of Ohtani ($), but he revealed this week that LA was going to be making Mookie Betts playing second base a permanent position change.

Betts moving permanently to the infield is a fascinating development. After being pressed into service in 2023 as an infielder due to various injuries and under-performance elsewhere on the roster, Mookie exceeded all expectations at second base with six Defensive Runs Saved in 485 innings there last season. The Dodgers clearly liked what they saw and it certainly didn't negatively impact Betts at the plate, but there are going to be some downstream effects on the Dodgers' roster from the decision to keep him there.

3 Dodgers who are impacted the most by Mookie Betts' position change

With Betts as their everyday second baseman, there are a few Dodgers players who have gone from "interesting options for 2024" to "where the hell is this guy going to play in 2024?" very quickly. In the end, having too many talented players is never an actual problem. More importantly, LA's decision to move Betts probably speaks to how the organization views these guys in the long-term and could lead to one or more of them being included in trades in the weeks and months ahead.

Let's take a look at a few of the Dodgers players whose future with the team is most in doubt after Mookie's switch to the infield.

Michael Busch

Michael Busch is a polarizing prospect in most circles. There is no denying that, at the plate, his upside his huge. Over the last three seasons in the minor leagues, Busch has put up video game-esque power numbers and his hit tool has improved to the point where All-Star caliber offensive production in the big leagues isn't too farfetched if everything clicks for him.

However, he was already a big question mark defensively and Betts' move to second complicates his path to playing time. LA had him play a good amount at third base in Triple-A in 2023 (his first year playing the position), but making 13 errors in 61 games isn't exactly what you want to see at the hot corner. It didn't help matters that Busch struggled at the plate in the majors last season with a .539 OPS in 27 games.

In a vacuum, the easy solution would be to try Busch out at designated hitter to take his defensive home completely out of the equation. However, the problem with that plan is that LA is hot and heavy in their chase to sign Shohei Ohtani and Shohei would obviously take the DH spot in the lineup for the next decade if that happens.

If LA fails to land Ohtani, there is certainly a world where the offseason breaks down in such a way that giving Busch a longer look as their designated hitter could be in the cards. However, given that the Dodgers had multiple opportunities to give Busch more plate appearances last season and declined to do so, it does feel more and more like he could be viewed more as a trade piece right now especially with Mookie taking over at second.

Miguel Vargas

One of the big reasons why Mookie had to get moved to second base in the first place is because of how things went down in 2023 with Miguel Vargas. Vargas was given every chance to seize control of that starting spot last season and it went rather poorly, to say the least. In 304 plate appearances in 2023, Miguel put up a .195/.305/.367 line at the plate and he ultimately got sent back down to the minors in July.

There is no denying Vargas' talent. He was a top 50 prospect in baseball before the 2023 season and was coming off back-to-back seasons in the minor leagues where he posted an OPS north of .900. When he is right, he hits, draws walks, and provides more than enough power to be an impact bat in the major leagues. However, his struggles with the big boys are cause for concern even though he did bounce back and have a nice 60 game stint in Triple-A after he was sent back down to the minors.

With Mookie now playing in the dirt, the Dodgers have Max Muncy, Freddie Freeman, and Betts playing at the positions that Vargas would normally play, even if there weren't concerns about his bat. Muncy's status with the club is clearly the most vulnerable of the three, but Vargas would really have to impress to supplant a guy who has as much power as Muncy has, especially since he's owed actual money over the next couple years and was just re-upped.

However, one solution would be just to try Vargas out in left field. Vargas already has played a bit out there in the minors over the last couple of seasons and, assuming he can turn things around at the plate in the big leagues, his bat would absolutely play out in left. If the Dodgers go a step further this offseason and sign or trade for an outfielder, then Vargas could be headed out of town in a deal to bolster the Dodgers' rotation.

Gavin Lux

One of the bigger unknowns going into 2024 for the Dodgers -- other than all of this Ohtani nonsense -- is what to expect out of Gavin Lux. Lux appeared to be on the fast track to being LA's starting shortstop for years to come before he tore his ACL and missed the entire season.

Knee injuries are tricky, especially when it comes to guys who need to make quick-twitch moves in the infield. Double that at shortstop. Perhaps in an ideal world, LA would prefer to play Lux at second to take some of the pressure off of him as he returns from injury. With Betts installed at second base, that isn't an option that is going to be available, as there is no shot that Lux is going to take playing away from one of the best players in baseball.

The good news is that all of the reports on Lux's recovery appear to be good. No one has reported any setbacks during his rehab and, by all accounts, he will be healthy and ready to roll for spring training. The best guess here is that Lux will enter spring training as the prohibitive favorite to be LA's starting shortstop assuming he is fully recovered.

Lux simply doesn't have much room for error at the end of the day. Missing an entire year is bound to make him a bit rusty, and it isn't like there weren't concerns over his ability to be an impact bat before he got hurt. Going into 2023, he was coming off two straight seasons with single-digit home run totals with OPS-es south of .750. If he struggles defensively at short and/or at the plate, second base is no longer another option and Lux could become roster dead weight in a hurry.

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3 Dodgers who are impacted the most by Mookie Betts' position change

Michael Busch

Miguel Vargas

Gavin Lux

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