Sources: Yankees Have Shown Trade Interest in Dodgers’ Gavin Lux

The New York Yankees have done a solid job in their pivot plan after losing Juan Soto to the Mets, but there is still work left to be done from an offensive standpoint.

The Yankees have a glaring hole in their infield that can be filled at either second base or third, depending on where they plan on playing Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2025.

Per recent reports, Chisholm will likely go back to his natural position at second base following the departure of Gleyber Torres to the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $15 million deal.

That being said, free agent third baseman Alex Bregman and the Yankees don’t appear to be a match at this point, and New York’s internal options are a risk: DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.

So maybe the Yankees would consider keeping Chisholm at the hot corner if they’re able to acquire a second baseman via trade.

As sources told Yankees On SI, the Yankees have shown some interest in a potential trade for Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux.

However, sources say the Yankees expressed interest in Lux several weeks ago and the Seattle Mariners have been more aggressive in pursuit of the infielder.

It’s also a bit difficult to envision the Yankees and Dodgers, who just faced off against each other in the World Series, which saw Los Angeles win the title in five games, as trade partners this offseason.

But the Yankees and Dodgers have made trades with one another in recent years: Joey Gallo for Clayton Beeter at the 2022 MLB trade deadline and Victor Gonzalez and Jorbit Vivas for Trey Sweeney last winter.

Lux also makes sense as a trade candidate after the Dodgers recently signed infielder Hyeseong Kim from the KBO to a three-year, $22 million.

Lux, 27, comes with two years of cheap team control before he reaches free agency following the 2026 season. The 2016 first-round draft pick has potential, but has yet to reach his full upside through five MLB seasons with the Dodgers.

The Yankees could land Lux with the hope of getting the most out of him via a change of scenery, low-risk acquisition. His left-handed bat would help bring more balance to the Bronx Bombers’ lineup as well.

For his career, Lux has a .252/.326/.383 slash line with a .709 OPS, 28 home runs and 155 RBI in 412 big-league games. He missed all of the 2023 season after suffering a torn ACL in Spring Training.

Lux would return in 2024 to play second base, slashing .251/.320/.383 with a .703 OPS, 10 homers and 50 RBIs across 139 games. Lux’s best season came in 2022, where he hit .276/.346/.399 with a .745 OPS, six homers and 42 RBIs in 129 games.

The initial expectation was that Lux would be the Dodgers’ shortstop of the future. But that hasn’t occurred due to struggles defensively and he was not a plus defender at second base last year either (-2 Outs Above Average).

Beyond his defense, Lux also doesn’t have great numbers against lefties in his career: .202 average, .552 OPS in only 252 at-bats, so the Yankees would potentially have to platoon him at second base.

Even still, taking a chance on Lux is an intriguing option for the Yankees if they do not wind up with Bregman.

The Yankees could decide to go with an internal choice to fill their infield hole, but bringing in a new face such as Lux makes sense. Seattle also seems like a perfect landing destination for Lux given he is a low-cost player and the Mariners are in need of another infielder.

The Dodgers just beat the Yankees in five games in the 2024 World Series, but there’s a possibility that the two sides could become trade partners again this offseason.