The Dodgers at least partially addressed their shortstop need on Wednesday by trading for Miami’s Miguel Rojas and, in doing so, freed up other elements of their roster.
Rojas will turn 34 in February. The Dodgers aren’t expected to pencil him in as their everyday shortstop or take the mantle of the $300 million names they’ve had at the position — Corey Seager, Manny Machado and Trea Turner (who signed with the Phillies earlier this winter).
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But Rojas will see time at short, and the Dodgers hope his premium glove gives them options. Gavin Lux, the club’s former top prospect, will also play some shortstop as he bounces between middle-infield spots. Two-time All-Star Max Muncy and prospect Miguel Vargas each will play some third base while having the ability to pop over to second, with Rojas capable of playing at each of those spots. With this addition, the Dodgers have bolstered a bench that still has question marks a month before the report date for spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona.
Rojas emerged as the Marlins’ primary shortstop over his eight seasons in Miami and still has the glove to stick there after producing 10 Outs Above Average at shortstop in 2022, according to Baseball Savant. He also graded out well in other advanced defensive metrics. But his struggles at the plate, in part due to torn cartilage in his right wrist that required surgery after the season, don’t make it as simple as a plug-and-play into the Dodgers lineup.
In 507 plate appearances a year ago, Rojas posted a .605 OPS, his worst offensive output of any year in Miami. The wrist can help explain some of what was an offensive downturn over the season’s second half. His OPS prior to the injury was .640, still well below his .713 mark in 2021, but dropped to .557 over the final months as he navigated the pain. Rojas underwent wrist surgery in October.
Rojas will require another clean-up procedure this winter but is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, with Rojas telling AM 570 on Wednesday, “There’s still a couple things I need to figure out with the wrist, but I’m going to be ready for spring training if everything goes well.”
When productive offensively, Rojas’ bat-to-ball skills should boost his overall profile and provide a different look to the Dodgers lineup. His success against left-handed pitching could allow him to get more starts at shortstop to spell the left-handed hitting Lux, who had a career-best year in 2022 while serving as the club’s everyday second baseman.
The Dodgers have talked up Lux’s ability to handle shortstop, even with baseball implementing a ban on infield shifts. The 25-year-old Lux has made some strides defensively, but still has inconsistency with his throwing and footwork, things that could present issues with a post-shift world placing extra emphasis on range.
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Rojas provides insurance at three positions, which reinforces the Dodgers elsewhere. Some combination of Muncy and Vargas can help fill in the other games at second (where Vargas has done significant work this winter) and third base, with Rojas able to backfill starts. That helps Chris Taylor spend more time in the outfield rather than in the infield. Taylor, 32, is coming off his worst season as a Dodger but may be the best defensive option in a left- and center-field rotation of him, Trayce Thompson and James Outman. The Dodgers are actively seeking upgrades in the outfield.
Rojas will fill a role that could have gone to the unproven option the Dodgers traded away to get Rojas. In shipping off Jacob Amaya, a 24-year-old prospect and perhaps the best defensive shortstop on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster prior to the trade, they are pushing for immediate help. Amaya’s bat demonstrated some upside in 2022, including a 14 percent walk rate and 17 homers at two levels, but his overall batting line at Triple-A Oklahoma City (including a 94 wRC+) suggests he will need some more time in the minors. He would’ve had to put together a stellar spring to land on the Dodgers’ radar to make the Opening Day roster.
Rojas provides a better glove, and a more proven one.
The Dodgers, for so long on the periphery of bigger available names this winter, remained hopeful that they could stay underneath baseball’s luxury tax threshold to reset tax rates ahead of a big push at a free agent such as Shohei Ohtani next offseason. On that front, they’ve lost more net value than any team in the sport this winter, according to Ben Clemens of FanGraphs.
But with Trevor Bauer’s suspension for violating baseball’s joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy being reduced and the Dodgers still owing Bauer $22.5 million this year even after releasing him on Thursday, they were already past the lowest level of the threshold of $233 million. Rojas, who is due $5 million in 2023, only further pushes the Dodgers past that and will cost them more than that in terms of tax penalties. Dipping back under the threshold, which would require trading players off the big-league roster, doesn’t seem feasible especially as other areas of the roster must be addressed. Staying above the threshold, which isn’t finalized until numbers are calculated after the season, shouldn’t rule the Dodgers out from still pursuing a marquee free agent next winter.
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All the glitzy free agents from this winter are already off the board, meaning several of the potential moves left to be made could look similar to the acquisition of Rojas —modest moves aimed at allowing the pieces of the roster to come together more seamlessly.
(Photo of Rojas: Sam Navarro / USA Today)