Dodgers Rumors: LA could battle with Red Sox for division rival infielder

It's still pretty unclear what the Dodgers' plan to fix their infield situation is, especially when their trade deadline concerns should probably be focused on more pressing things like the rotation and the outfield. Any infield talk had to be halted a bit after Mookie Betts got hurt, but it remains abundantly clear that Miguel Rojas is a very capable shortstop and Gavin Lux is an unsustainable option for second base.

Betts' original timeline, which we haven't gotten many updates on, puts him back with the major league team sometime around the deadline, and if the Dodgers deal or Gavin Lux (as they should), Betts could slot right into second and LA wouldn't have to bother much with looking for infield candidates.

Still, their bench options for second base pretty much only include Kiké Hernández at this point, and he hasn't been hitting well. Although it would be more of an ancillary acquisition, if they get the outfielders and starters they need, they could also do some looking into an infielder.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com has a proposal: the Rockies' Brendan Rodgers, who he mentioned as a potential fit for both LA and the Red Sox, a team the Dodgers have already beaten out for two free agents in 2024.

Could Rockies' Brendan Rodgers be a solution for the Dodgers' infield problems?

Feinsand notes that Rodgers missed some time with a hamstring injury, but has been batting well over his last 14 games of June, and Colorado's No. 2 prospect, SS/2B Adael Amador, could be up in the majors next season, which would supplant Rodgers in the Rockies' infield. Rodgers is also still under team control through 2025, upping his trade value for Colorado.

The Red Sox's need for a second baseman is perhaps more dire than the Dodgers'; Boston has employed multiple players at second, but primarily Enmanuel Valdez, who ranks in the second percentile of position players and has a -7 OAA at second.

But the Dodgers have already shown this season that they can beat out the Red Sox for players, once with Teoscar Hernández, who narrowed his choices to the Dodgers and Red Sox and chose LA because he wanted to win (to be fair, the Red Sox haven't been as bad as anyone thought this season). They did it again with James Paxton, who the Red Sox had "strong interest" in keeping but failed to actually keep. Add in Kenley Jansen yearning to return to Hollywood, and Rodgers could make a quadfecta.

If the Dodgers and Red Sox do both go after Rodgers, it'll be a little bit of a different story because getting him would require a trade rather than schmoozing and throwing a lot of money at him. Still, the Dodgers have already set themselves up with a nice precedent of beating the Red Sox out for players this year alone.