Dodgers Offseason: LA Comfortable with Shortstop Options, Says Dave Roberts
The Dodgers don't currently have a starting shortstop, as All-Star Trea Turner hit free agency in October and looks unlikely to return. There are several big name shortstops on the free-agent market, plus potential trade targets and internal options.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts was a guest on the Starkville Podcast with Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville, and he hasn't ruled out bringing Turner back at shortstop. But he also feels good about one particular internal option if Turner goes elsewhere.
Gavin Lux was drafted as a shortstop and came through the organization as a shortstop, and he was a shortstop when he was the Minor League Player of the Year in 2019. He had some defensive struggles in the minors, mostly with the throws, but he made excellent progress, cutting his errors in half from 2018 to 2019.
Lux has had some defensive issues at second base in the big leagues, which has a lot of Dodger fans worried it would be even worse at shortstop. But it doesn't necessarily track that because he's struggled at a new position, he'd struggle worse at his natural position. Yes, the throws from shortstop are longer than from second base, but there's a lot to be said for playing where you're comfortable.
This doesn't mean, of course, that Lux will be the starting shortstop if Turner departs. Whether in free agency or the trade market, the team's negotiating power will be greater if they're not desperate for a player. So of course Roberts is going to say they're comfortable with Lux at short.
But that doesn't mean it's not true.
