3 shortstops (who aren't Willy Adames) Dodgers should pursue after Gavin Lux mess

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In a perfect world, the Dodgers would've traded for Willy Adames months ago. We would've avoided the entire Gavin Lux position switch debacle that's been the talk of Dodgers world for the past few weeks; Adames would've been on the plane to Seoul with the rest of the team on Friday; and fans would be able to sleep well knowing that ne'er the errant grounder would be boggled at shortstop.

But the Brewers have kept Adames confined to Milwaukee, and the Dodgers' bright idea to take some of the pressure off of Lux was to just move Mookie Betts to shortstop, because Mookie Betts can do anything, right? Hm. Or, maybe, no matter who the player is, you shouldn't move them there permanently if they've never even made 20 starts at the position. Maybe!

If Adames being a Dodger is never in the cards (check back after the season), who else could LA pursue? Let's say, hypothetically, that Lux does a little better at second and recovers a bit of his trade value, and the Dodgers can use him to fetch themselves a new shortstop via trade sometime this season. Here's who could (should?) be on their radar.

3 shortstops (who aren't Willy Adames) Dodgers should pursue after Gavin Lux mess

Ha-Seong Kim

Last year, the Padres primarily used Kim as a second baseman, but there's a reason they're known as a team made up of shortstops. Kim, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. are all shortstops who the Padres have historically employed all over the field. During his three seasons with the Padres, Kim has flipped between second, shortstop, and third; most of his 2022 starts were at short, but most of his 2023 starts were at second. In 2024, Bogaerts is expected to move there more permanently, which will kick Kim back to shortstop.

In 2022, Kim got 131 starts at short and put up 8 OAA (outs above average) there. In 2023, both his base running and fielding value went up, and he looked a lot better at the plate, with elite chase and whiff rates. His walk rate also improved significantly, from 8.8% to 12% with over 40 more plate appearances in 2023.

Last year, he batted .260/.351/.398 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI, and 38 stolen bases, and he's stayed healthy and has improved his numbers every year. For his efforts in 2023, Kim placed 14th in MVP voting and won his first Gold Glove as a second baseman, so the Dodgers should be eyeing him closely as he moves back to shortstop.

Matt McLain (or Whichever Reds Shortstops He Edges Out Long-Term)

McLain, who placed fifth in Rookie of the Year votes in 2023, could be a bit difficult for the Dodgers to try to coax away from the Reds in a trade. However, the Reds are going to rely heavily on Elly De La Cruz at shortstop this year and newly-extended Jonathan India will certainly battle McLain for time at second. If India can edge out McLain there and become a permanent captain type, it could leave the Reds without a spot for McLain and looking to get a good return for him on a trade. Stranger things have happened than a McLain regression, and perhaps the Orange, CA native (and UCLA Bruins star) will wind up back where he belongs if the fates align.

His season was hindered by a recurring oblique strain, but over 89 games in 2023, he batted .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI and placed fifth in Rookie of the Year voting. He could serve to walk a little more and strike out a little less, but no one's perfect, and those numbers in a rookie year were more than enough to have some fans calling for an extension.

McLain split time between shortstop and second base last year and put up 2 OAA at short. The fact that he could still be considered mostly untested could make a potential trade partner hesitate, but the Dodgers could add a little bit of youth to a star, veteran lineup and take on a player they can mold.

If McLain does emerge as a bonafide long-term piece in Cincinnati, perhaps Los Angeles could look to poach the players he edges out for the role: Noelvi Marte or Edwin Arroyo. Marte, naturally, has fallen out of favor in the Queen City after being suspended for 80 games over use of a PED; Arroyo, also acquired in the Luis Castillo trade, is MLB Pipeline's No. 3 Reds prospect. Unless you want to be the Padres, you can't carry 30 shortstops forever.

Ezequiel Tovar

Tovar would be a much stronger defensive addition than an offensive one, but no one on this list can match up to Adames' defense as well as Tovar. In 2023, he put up 16 OAA in 153 games at shortstop, making him one of the most elite defensive players in the game. He might've been easier to overlook because he plays for the Rockies, but if the Dodgers wanted to take pity on Colorado and their farm system (ranked No. 18 at midseason by MLB Pipeline and No. 24 by Keith Law of The Athletic this offseason), perhaps a couple of prospects could tempt them to let Tovar go to a team that's actually competitive.

He would certainly be a player that the rest of the Dodgers lineup would have to pick up offensively; he batted a nice .276/.315/.438 at home at Coors but a less-nice .229/.258/.377 away (though, interestingly, he did hit more homers on the road). Dodgers management was unwilling to put Miguel Rojas at shortstop and let the rest of LA's batters carry him, but maybe their tune would change if they were able to acquire an even better defensive player than Rojas.

Like McLain, Tovar was a rookie last year, and he might've been able to crack Rookie of the Year voting if he hadn't been overshadowed by teammate Nolan Jones. Tovar could be a pickup the Dodgers could lock down and develop for years to come.

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3 shortstops (who aren't Willy Adames) Dodgers should pursue after Gavin Lux mess

Ha-Seong Kim

Matt McLain (or Whichever Reds Shortstops He Edges Out Long-Term)

Ezequiel Tovar

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