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5 immediate replacements Dodgers can explore to address Gavin Lux injury
The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a huge blow to the roster in only the third Spring training game of the year as Gavin Lux tore his ACL and will miss the entire 2023 season. Lux was expected to take a leap as the team's everyday shortstop after a promising 2022 season (one that was also derailed by injuries).
The shortstop position has seen a fall from grace in Los Angeles over the last three years, going from Corey Seager to Trea Turner to (briefly) Lux and now ... Miguel Rojas. Trading for Rojas now seems much smarter by the Dodgers but fans are not content with that being the everyday situation. LA may need more help.
The market isn't flooded with talent at this point in the offseason but there are certainly replacement options that Andrew Friedman and Co. could consider following Lux's injury.
5 shortstop replacements the Dodgers can explore to address Gavin Lux injury
Jose Iglesias
The only viable free-agent option for the Dodgers is veteran shortstop Jose Iglesias. The rest of the market is made up of minor-league talent, so if the team wants someone with big-league experience, Iglesias is the way to go.
Iglesias may not bring the same offensive impact that Lux would have, but he's still a league-average hitter with a plus glove at the shortstop position. Since 2020, Iglesias has posted a .293/.329/.409 slash line and a 98 OPS+ (100 being league average).
The Dodgers always get the most out of hitters in Los Angeles, and if they can teach Iglesias to be more patient at the plate and work more walks then suddenly he becomes a much more valuable bat.
Iglesias has always hovered around a .300 batting average, which could be achievable if he's surrounded by top talent in the Dodgers' lineup.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
As soon as the Lux injury happened on Monday there were Yankees fans who started theorizing what a potential Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade could look like with the Dodgers. After all, these two teams did business for Joey Gallo last season so there's an obvious rapport there.
IKF was disappointing in his first season in New York, posting a sub-.700 OPS and struggling defensively with 15 errors. With one more year of club control, the Yankees would be smart to get whatever they can for IKF (they currently have an infield logjam).
IKF isn't an option to start every day but if the Dodgers want a cheap trade option that can provide defensive versatility and depth, then IKF could be the player to acquire. There's familiarity in the building with former Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward back on the staff, which could influence a deal.
Nicky Lopez
With young talent taking precedent in Kansas City, the Royals are in a similar position as the Yankees where they would be better off getting whatever they can for the final year of Nicky Lopez. More so than IKF, Lopez could be someone that the Dodgers buy low on and look to maximize.
Lopez is coming off of a very bad season in Kansas City in which he posted a .554 OPS in 141 games, giving him the third-worst mark in the sport with at least 400 plate appearances. However, Lopez has shown a higher ceiling than someone like IKF.
In 565 plate appearances in 2021, Lopez slashed .300/.365/.378 with 22 steals. He virtually has no power, but he's someone who can get on base and use his speed to disrupt games. If anything, Lopez is a poor man's version of Lux, which may make the transition easier.
Jose Barrero
While we're on the topic of the Dodgers taking a flyer, there's exciting potential in Jose Barrero. The Cincinnati Reds middle infielder was a top-50 prospect before the 2022 season but has struggled at the big-league level and is not projected to start.
Four of the Reds' top five prospects in the farm system can play the middle infield (and that's not including third baseman Cam Collier). If the Reds are going to trade from any part of the depth chart, it's the middle infield.
Thus, the Reds could try and get whatever value they can out of Barrero while the Dodgers can try to unlock the promising tools he showcased as an international signing.
Michael Busch
Realistically, this is probably the route the Dodgers take this season. Michael Busch is not a shortstop and is not going to fill in at shortstop directly, but making him a more serious part of the infield depth in 2023 is going to add more shortstop depth.
Having Buch to play second base (and even some left field) will allow the Dodgers to give Rojas and Chris Taylor the full-time duties at shortstop. They replace Lux's left-handed bat with Busch and there's a real chance Busch is better than any of the options above.
MLB Pipeline ranks Busch as the Dodgers' fourth-best prospect (42nd overall) as he tore the cover off the ball in 2022. Busch slashed .274/.365/.516 with 32 home runs and 108 RBI in 142 minor league games last season. This is a natural way to give him more playing time in 2023 to ultimately see what he has at the big-league level.
If the Dodgers don't believe in Busch then they'll obviously seek outside help. But if they do, they'll give him a bigger role than expected in 2023 and reassess at the deadline.