What Betts' move to second means for Dodgers teammates

This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

After a quiet first day of the 2023 Winter Meetings on Monday, everyone in attendance and fans across the world desperately waited for major news to come out of Nashville, Tenn. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts delivered.

During an interview on MLB Network’s High Heat, Roberts casually dropped that the Dodgers see superstar Mookie Betts as the team's “everyday second baseman” next season. While Betts -- who split time between second, shortstop and right field in 2023 -- was always going to get plenty of playing time at second in ‘24, Roberts’ declarations made it much more concrete.

“We both feel strongly that he’s not looked at as a utility player,” Roberts told reporters later in the day, doubling down on his stance. “Mookie is a superstar player, and I think it’s important for him to thrive and to have some clarity. I could see him play the rest of his career at second base. That excites me, and that excites him most importantly.”

Over the past few seasons, Betts has made it very clear he enjoys playing on the dirt much more than in right field, the position that elevated him to superstardom with his six Gold Glove Awards. But after coming up through the Minors as an infielder, Betts never lost the itch to play his original position. At this point of his career, he has made it clear his body feels better when he’s playing second, allowing him to produce more offensively.

Whether Betts ends up playing most -- if not all -- of his games at second remains to be seen, however. Plans change. But as of now, that’s what Roberts and Betts envision. So what does that move mean for some of his teammates? Let’s break that down.

Gavin Lux
With Corey Seager and Trea Turner ahead of him on the depth chart at shortstop, Lux was forced to slide over to second base through the 2022 season in order to get consistent playing time. In ‘23, Lux entered Spring Training as the starter at short, but he had to miss the entire season after tearing his right ACL and LCL in Spring Training.

This offseason, Lux has continued to get healthier, and the belief is he’ll be ready for Spring Training. Now, given Betts’ new position, the Dodgers will need Lux to prove, once again, that he can handle being the team’s starting shortstop. Barring a trade for a shortstop, Lux will get every chance to win that spot in 2024.

Miguel Rojas
When Lux went down for the season, the Dodgers were fortunate to have Rojas on the roster and ready to step in. Rojas is a terrific defender at the position and was certainly an upgrade on defense. Offensively, however, Rojas left a lot to be desired, and Los Angeles would like more production out of the position.

If Lux shows he can handle shortstop post-injury, Rojas will turn into the team’s utility man, handling second base, shortstop and third base, especially against left-handed pitching, which has always been a strength for the Venezuelan shortstop.

Jason Heyward
Heyward’s deal with the Dodgers isn’t official yet, but last week he agreed to return to Los Angeles on a one-year, $9 million deal. That agreement hinted that Betts was going to play a significant amount of second base in 2024. Heyward had a resurgent season at the plate last season, hitting 15 homers and posting an .813 OPS, all while playing solid defense in right. For Betts to stay at second, Heyward is going to need to do a lot of the same this upcoming season.

Miguel Vargas/Michael Busch
With just about every decision, there’s always a player or two who are affected the most. In this case, it’s Vargas and Busch. Both are talented young players who dominated through the Minors, but have struggled to find consistent success at the big league level.

Vargas got a chance to be the team’s everyday second baseman last season, but his offense never translated the way the Dodgers were hoping. Los Angeles has maintained that the club is high on Vargas’ offense, but that production might have to come in left field now that Betts can handle the Cuban infielder’s position. As for Busch, the 26-year-old has struggled to find playing time in the Majors because all of his positions remain blocked by Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Betts. Like Vargas, his best chance at playing time next season appears to be in left field.

Things can change fast during the winter. All it takes is one big splash to alter the team’s complexion. But now we know, it’s far more likely than not that Betts is the Dodgers’ second baseman for the foreseeable future.