Rays were exchanged Josh Lowe for Gavin Lux as part of yesterday’s three-way trade. President of baseball Erik Neander spoke with Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times after the conclusion this morning.
Neander pointed out that the Rays are likely to reduce Lux’s defense in his second base. The former senior worked in a relief role with Cincinnati last year, starting just 16 games in the primary. He spent most of his defensive career in left field and started more games at designated hitter than at any position.
“In our opinion, second base is his best position, and he plays every time he focuses there,” Neander told Topkin. “The way things played out in Cincinnati last year, there was a lot of opportunity in left field, more DH, more pinch-hit, a little bit of second base, but his work wasn’t focused on second base. I think Gavin is someone that we can explain to him, ‘Hey, second base, put your work in there, build your routine there, prepare for that, and that’s really it. And I think that’s how we’re going to get the best out of him.'”
Lux has played more second base than any other position in his career. He earned the gloves as a slightly above-average gloveman in both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average during 2019-22. Lux missed the entire ’23 season with a torn ACL. The Dodgers initially plan to move him up the defensive spectrum at shortstop when he returns. They squandered that when he struggled to throw well during Spring Training. Lux’s arm is no problem in the right side of the infield, but his defensive grades have dipped over the past two years.
The Rays apparently feel that last year’s metrics are due to the role of multiple positions. Committing to Lux as an everyday second baseman could backfire on the rest of the roster. That’s probably a lock Taylor’s Walls at shortstop to open the season, allowing them to post Carson Williams return to Triple-A to work on communication concerns.
Richie Palacios it had been a house favorite in the second run after the Brandon Lowe trade. He was very impressed with the discovery of Lux, who has a similar skill set. They are individual left-handed bats whose games are built around strong base skills despite limited power. Palacios hit well in a small sample last year but was limited to 17 games by two injuries — a broken ring finger and a season-ending knee injury.
Palacios still has a minor league option and could head to Triple-A for another season. His best form of MLB playing time is now probably in the outfield. Palacios played nearly 500 innings as a left fielder over parts of four MLB campaigns. The rays have a wide open field around it Cedric Mullinswho is likely to be an everyday midfielder. Jake Fraley, Johnny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson, Justin-Henry Malloy, Ryan Vilade and a commercial van Jacob Melton it will also compete for playing time. Fraley, Palacios, Simpson and Melton are all left-handed hitters.
