Reds Acquire Gavin Lux From Dodgers; What Does This Mean for Each Club?
The World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers continued their busy offseason by making another trade Monday afternoon. Only this time, they were the ones giving away a well-known name. Los Angeles traded infielder Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a Competitive Balance Round A pick in the upcoming draft this summer. This might not be a blockbuster trade on paper, but it has the potential to have a significant impact on each team’s 2025 season. Let’s take a look at what this trade could mean for both teams.
For Cincinnati, this trade has one purpose and one purpose only. They got their Jonathan India replacement. The Reds traded away the 2021 Rookie Of The Year to the Kansas City Royals earlier this winter in exchange for starting pitcher Brady Singer. Lux will plug in perfectly at second base for the Reds to fill the hole left by India’s departure. Lux slashed a productive .251/.320/.383 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs last season for the Dodgers.
Along with a quality bat, Lux can provide the Reds with positional flexibility. Matt McLain burst onto the scene last year for the Reds primarily at second base, so Lux could be used as a possible platoon at second with McLain, or the Reds have the option to move Lux around as he has Major League experience at both shortstop and Left Field as well. However, Lux has had injury troubles in the past, including a torn ACL in February of 2023, forcing him to miss the whole 2023 campaign. If Lux is able to stay healthy for the majority of the season, he will give the Reds a quality left-handed bat that can be placed pretty much anywhere in the batting order to help lengthen the Cincinnati lineup.
As for Los Angeles, this trade helps clear up some of their questions regarding their infield. The Dodgers recently acquired Korean star second baseman Hyeseong Kim from the Korean Baseball Organization. So, Lux’s role in the Dodgers’ lineup seemed to be pretty diminished, with infielders Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas, and Tommy Edman all staying around for at least the foreseeable future, as well as the newly-acquired Kim. The Dodgers also have Chris Taylor, who can provide that utility role, which Lux can also provide. With all these pieces in place for Los Angeles, it seemed as though Lux was the odd man out. Mike Sirota, the prospect headed back to the Dodgers, is a 21-year-old outfielder who was drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft by the Reds. As for the pick Los Angeles received, it is expected to be the 37th overall pick in the 2025 draft.
