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What does the Gavin Lux trade mean for the Dodgers and Reds in 2025?

What does the Gavin Lux trade mean for the Dodgers and Reds in 2025?

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds completed an intriguing trade Monday, with 27-year-old second baseman Gavin Lux heading to Cincinnati in exchange for outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a Competitive Balance (Round A) 2025 draft pick that is expected to land in the mid-30s once the order is finalized.

The deal came days after the Dodgers’ signing of Korean second baseman Hye-seong Kim prompted questions about the team’s infield alignment, with Mookie Betts expected to move back to the middle infield and Lux still in tow. The Dodgers initially suggested that Kim could play a superutility role with Betts and Lux remaining up the middle, but they clearly had other plans, opting to flip Lux and the two years remaining on his contract to Cincinnati in exchange for two future assets.

This deal marks the end of an uneven but generally successful tenure for Lux in Los Angeles. The franchise’s first-round pick out of a Wisconsin high school back in 2016, Lux quickly developed into a promising middle-infield prospect with an advanced bat. His rise through the minors hit a crescendo in 2019, when he slugged a ridiculous .719 with 13 home runs in 49 games in Triple-A — an eye-popping figure that was partially the product of the livelier baseball and favorable run environments of the Pacific Coast League but also thanks to a hot stretch that earned Lux his first big-league call-up that September at age 21.

Lux’s power surge that year launched him toward the very top of prospect lists entering 2020, and sky-high expectations followed. As such, there was some disappointment surrounding his gradual development in the big leagues, as he didn’t establish himself as an every-day player until 2022, with the slugging prowess yet to shine through at the highest level. Lux was projected to be the Dodgers’ starting shortstop in 2023, but a torn ACL in a spring training game instead cost him the entire season.

When Lux returned in 2024, he settled in at second base. After a slow start at the plate as he shook off the rust, he had a fantastic second half and provided several key plate appearances during the team’s run through October, including in the decisive World Series Game 5. Although he has never quite reached the statistical heights that his gaudy minor-league stats suggested were possible, Lux’s development into a key contributor on a championship club should not go overlooked.

Now Lux will start a new chapter in Cincinnati following a trade that…

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