Dodgers Rumors: MLB insider projects star-studded shortstop replacements for 2025

Blessedly, the Dodgers put their shortstop issue to bed when Mookie Betts returned to the lineup after a two-month absence with a broken hand. It took entirely too much equivocating and the problem was a self-inflicted wound in the first place, but at least they did manage to see sense and move Betts back to the outfield, even if it was overdue.

Miguel Rojas assumed starting duties at short, and he's been having his best offensive year since 2020. Tommy Edman entered the mix when he came off the IL, but a huge part of his appeal is his defensive versatility, and he's likely to jump all over the field as long as he's a Dodger.

Rojas has a club option for 2025, which the Dodgers may very well exercise. He's become a solid piece of the lineup and has an elite 12 OAA, 10 of that total coming at short. However, Rojas is 35 and has been historically spotty at the plate, so the Dodgers could pursue full-time shortstops in the offseason and put Rojas back on the bench.

Bob Nightengale named two impending free agents — Willy Adames and Bo Bichette — as potential targets for the Dodgers, both of whom are no strangers to speculative connections to LA.

Bob Nightengale names Willy Adames, Bo Bichette as potential replacement shortstops for Dodgers

Adames has been connected to the Dodgers repeatedly since at least the 2022 offseason, and while it's safe to assume they've had conversations with the Brewers, Milwaukee has never been willing to let him go. It made sense in 2023 and it made sense this season; the Brewers are ending the regular season around nine games up from the second-place Cubs, just like they did last year. There's never been any real incentive for them to let go of one of their best hitters.

Buzz surrounding Bichette kicked up at the deadline this year, with the Blue Jays under .500 and Bichette making some noise about expecting to be traded. Clearly, that never materialized, but if there was any interest from the Dodgers back then, both he and Adames will be available in free agency soon enough.

If the Dodgers are going to go after anyone and put Rojas back in a substitute role, it should be Adames, who leads the Brewers in homers and RBI, instead of Bichette, who is having his worst offensive year and recently fractured his finger. LA has had Adames on their wishlist for a long time, and even if he might cost more than Bichette, that's far from an issue for this team.

It's nice, though, that the Dodgers have some optionality here. Rojas has more than proven that he can be an effective presence both on the field and at the plate, so they could keep him and save themselves some money, or they could chase a long-coveted player and add another star to an already stacked lineup.