Reds' Gavin Lux might turn into the star Dodgers weren't patient enough to wait for

Even though Gavin Lux had a solid contingent of ardent defenders within the Dodgers' fandom, there was an equally loud portion who wanted to see him gone by last year's All-Star break, at which point he was batting .213 with a .592 OPS. Lux was coming off of a torn ACL that kept him out of the 2023 season, but repeated defensive gaffes and poor offensive performance made him stand out like a sore thumb among the Dodgers' stars.

LA did end up letting him go in the offseason, in exchange for Reds outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a competitive balance draft pick. Tommy Edman took over at second, a position he's won a Gold Glove at, and Lux went to a middling NL Central team, presumably never to be thought of again.

Devastating for the anti-Lux contingent: he's actually been doing extraordinarily well for the Reds to start the season, and he very well may be on track for his first All-Star nod this season. He's currently batting .317 with a .836 OPS, and the Reds have turned him into a utility player, employing him mainly in left field.

He even took what felt like a shot at the Dodgers recently, telling reporters on Tuesday that the last time he enjoyed playing baseball this much was, "probably high school."

Discarded former Dodger Gavin Lux is one of the best hitters in baseball with the Reds

Admittedly, the signs were there with Lux last season; he hit .304 with a .899 OPS in the second half. But after the Dodgers signed Hyeseong Kim, who clearly hasn't panned out the way the Dodgers would've hoped yet, Lux was the clear cut. The Dodgers don't have a lot of patience with their young players, because they don't need to exercise much patience, and they gave Lux a lot more time than most.

Lux's .317 average and .410 OBP lead the Reds, and his slugging sits just one point behind Elly de la Cruz's through Thursday. This is after the Reds didn't even seem sure where they were going to play him during spring training.

He still can't hit lefties (.105 with a .397 OPS) and is usually benched when the Reds face a lefty starter, but his numbers against righties are, frankly, sort of ridiculous, and they make up for the lack.

This trade, unfortunately, might be one that the Dodgers have to take the L on.