Potential Middle Infielders for LAD
Brice Turang is arguably the best 2B in MLB. You could get an argument that St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt is a better defensive 2B, but I still like Turang. You could argue that Brandon Lowe was a slightly better offensive player. Lowe’s HR production gave him a slight edge in OPS over Turang (.824 over .816). Turang’s OBP was much better than Lowe’s. Turang is the most complete 2B in MLB.
Most commenters here would have given up on Turang in his first couple of years. Such are the fans of the Dodgers vs the fans of the Brewers.
I am not predicting that Alex Freeland will now become the next Brice Turang, but I am also not calling him a bust. He is a bust to many fans who are calling for the Dodgers to sign Brandon Lowe at 2B, or trade for Jeremy Pena or Zach Neto and move Mookie to 2B. Those are certainly options that the Dodgers could very well do. But like Jim Lefebvre and Steve Sax, I am holding out for the Dodgers’ kid, Alex Freeland, and see what he could do with a full year.
But if 2B is truly a place to improve, who are the middle infielders who may be available.
For me (and more importantly, the Dodgers), character matters. 2B is a position that has dubious characters. The one I absolutely do not believe the Dodgers would even inquire about is Jazz Chisholm Jr. As I stated last week when his name came up, last ST, Chisholm made highly publicized, critical comments regarding the Dodgers. He told NJ.com that he would rather join the LAA or "win by myself" than play for the Dodgers. He added, "I'd rather build my roof than go to the Dodgers." He also had public critical words about Miggy Ro. Apparently, Miggy Ro did not kiss his ass when with Miami. Chisholm is a hard pass.
There are two others with questionable character concerns who are being marketed: CJ Abrams and Ketel Marte. Abrams, who is not a good defensive SS, was upset that he was moved from SS to 2B.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7520695/2026/08/18/cj-abrams-nationals-unhappy-position-change/
Plus, there have been reports that have occasionally pointed to past lapses in hustle and off-field focus, which have tempered some internal and external extension talks. For instance, the definitive turning point for his trade market was his late-2024 demotion. Washington management publicly optioned him to the minor leagues after he stayed out until 8:00 AM gambling at a Chicago casino before a Friday day game at Wrigley Field. I am not sure that embarrassing Abrams by going public was the right approach, but it does not negate the fact of what he did.
Some will say the Dodgers’ vets can take care of that attitude. But can they? They could not with Puig. Abrams has two more years of team control. He is young and extremely talented (5.1 bWAR). What will the cost be? Character issues will be enough to turn the Dodgers away, but the cost will be another reason.
Ketel Marte? He has reached 10 and 5 status so he has a no trade provision. But if the Dodgers wanted to guarantee his 2031 player option and double his option amount, that might get discussions started. But would they even consider that. Marte has had numerous issues in the clubhouse.
Last year Marte had an unexcused "no-show" absence, poor communication, and a perceived emotional withdrawal from his team. He left his team completely in the dark when he failed to report to Fenway Park for a game against the Red Sox. In addition, insiders reported a frustrating pattern of Marte "retreating" or withdrawing like a kid when things go wrong, rather than communicating like a 10-year veteran. Add to that, Arizona is not going to trade Marte to the Dodgers without a massive overpay, even with his issues, and AF is not going to oblige.
There is only one FA 2B that the Dodgers will consider: Brandon Lowe. Lowe is widely considered a textbook "East Coast guy," and strongly suggests he prefers playing on the east coast. Lowe was born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia, growing up right along the eastern seaboard as a fan of the New York Yankees. He chose to stay local for college, attending the University of Maryland. He likes Pittsburgh and may be willing to take a discount to stay. Unfortunately, even the friendly discount will not be enough for Pittsburgh to spend. Or maybe NYY will want to sign him.
Outside of the three malcontents and possible FA, there are other potentially other viable options for the Dodgers to consider. The name getting the most traction is Houston’s Jeremy Peña. Peña has one more year of control, and while it will not be cheap, the cost will be more manageable from a player capital standpoint than other trade options. Admittedly, I am not good at evaluating prospect trade values. Baseball Trade Values rates Sheehan and Peña at the same value. Would Houston do that? Would the Dodgers? Houston is not in a rebuild and is not looking for just prospects, although they do need pitching. I would see what it would take along with Alex Freeland who could take over at SS. Would they take Freeland and Jackson Ferris. Ferris is MLB ready. Probably not enough, but for just one year of Peña, I would not be willing to give up Emmet Sheehan or even Justin Wrobleski. Pitching is too important for the Dodgers.
Another popular name is Zach Neto. Neto is a super-2 arbitration player, so he has 3 more years of arbitration. He made $4.1MM in his 1st year of arbitration. Three years of control is going to cost. He is also way too valuable of a SS to switch to 2B. If the Dodgers get him, it is more likely that Betts goes to 2B. Either way, Davalan will be blocked at 2B for three years with Neto on the roster. Also consider that Neto struck out 215 times in 2026 (30.5%).
After being rebuffed in their quest for Elly De La Cruz last deadline, Boston is now looking at trading for Peña. With only one year control for Peña, Boston is not trading Arias who was part of the proposed package for De La Cruz. They are not trading Rafaela or Tolle. Roman Anthony cannot stay on the field, and his value has greatly diminished. Although they did trade LHSP Connelly Early to Washington for 2B/3B Curtis Mead, which was an overpay (IMO). Houston is going to want MLB talent for Peña.
Below is a commentary on Zach Neto and why Minnesota may have dodged a bullet.
One of the two Miami middle Infielders is projected to be on the move. 2B Xavier Edwards is 27 and is entering his arbitration year #1. He has three years of control.
Xavier Edwards not a lot of slug (6 HR, 17 doubles, 6 triples), but he only struck out 13.9% while walking 11.4%. Because of the lack of slug, Edwards’ OPS was .730 with an OPS+ of 108. Edwards was a plus defensive 2B in 2025 but regressed in 2026. Will he continue to slide or revert to 2025? Edwards stole 21 bases and was caught 5 times.
The 2nd middle infielder is SS Otto Lopez. Lopez is 28 and is also entering his arbitration year #1, with three years of control. Lopez led MLB in hits (191). He has a 13% K rate, but only 5.8% BB rate. Lopez has more SLG than Edwards. He did have double digit HR (11) with 32 doubles and 9 triples. He is a strong defensive SS probably moving Mookie to 2B. Lopez is a more productive base stealer with 34 SB and 5 CS.
Both players are considered to have outstanding character. Lopez will require a healthy return. Probably in the Zach Neto range. Both are excellent defensive SS, with 3 years control. Neto has the SLG while Lopez has the bat to ball skills.
I am not including Elly De La Cruz, because IMO he is not getting traded.
Discussion (4)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I love players with good plate discipline who work counts, swing only at pitches they can hammer, and earn their share of walks. JdP seems to have all those qualities, and the minor league reports on Davalan are promising in this regard. I've always like the adage "a walk is a good as a hit." It's the Moneyball ethos: "He gets on base." But then along comes a sort of stealthy, unhyped guy like 28-year-old Otto Lopez, who doesn't walk much at all but collected an ML-leading 191 hits last season. Great bat-to-ball skills. So I think: A hit is as good as a walk... and often better. Otto's hits included 11 HRs, 9 triples and 32 doubles. Stole 34 bases in 39 tries. Scored 94 runs in 157 games. Seems durable. Plays both SS and 2B. Intriguing. What would it take? Who says no?
I wonder how many millions Jazz has cost himself with his attitude and mouth... Talented player, but a poor reputation. He had a nice run with the Yankees for a while...then seemed to wear out his welcome. Again. I wonder if the Dodgers lucked into the reunion with Miggy Rojas because of the bad blood between the veteran and the young, exciting, even Jazz-y star who, back then, was expected to be the face of that franchise...
While the middle infield is a place the Dodgers could improve, I would not be surprised if another proven catcher is acquired. Feduccia seems like an OK backup, but Smith seems to play better with regular breaks that minimize wear and tear. Rushing should be back after the all-star break.
Great takes as usual JD! I completely agree: give Freeland/Kim a chance, unless they both blow it at ST or a too good to pass up deal appears. Hard no to low character guys like Chisolm, Marte, and Abrams. No need to overpay for Pena or even Neto. Elly De la Cruz, for the right price--all day long. I say inject the youth at 2B and LF with De Paula. Also, add a youngster to the bench. Shore up the relief pitching and we should be fine.
The question to me boils down to this: At what point should Mookie move to to 2B? That's been the plan for a few year--and probably ever since AF signed him longterm. He had come up as a middle infielder with the Red Sox, and was blocked at 2B by Dustin Pedroia. Boston might have played him at SS, but they had Bogaerts. Mookie, a superior athlete, took over RF and excelled. But when AF signed, surely the plan was for the aging superstar to move back the middle infield. With his abiding, misplaced faith in Gavin Lux, the plan was for a Lux-Mookie keystone. But finally the vaunted LAD brass saw what a lot of us fans had seen: Lux fell short as a shortstop. And it was Mookie to the rescue! So how long should this last? The SS market now has a lot of good options that have (a) outperformed Freeland and Kim and (b) make the Dodgers younger. You say Otto Lopez has a good glove? I'm good with a terrific fielder who piles up 190 hits but doesn't walk much. What will he cost? Is Brice Turang really available? Great! How much? He was drafted as a SS, so maybe young Brice and Old Man Mookie can switch roles in a couple seasons. You think Freeland will have a breakout season like Turang did a couple years back? Well, Turang was a 1st round pick (like Lux, only better), so Milwaukee understandably had great faith in the lad. Freeland had had some good moments, but in '26 his elders Rojas, Edman and Kike out-played him. He was not pushing them toward retirement. Freeland got a greater opportunity that Kim, but Roberts opted to play the old guys more, because they delivered, and he wanted to win. Will Freeland blossom like Miguel Vargas? Well, the Dodgers brass wanted desperately for the Lux-Vargas keystone to work. But Miguelito didn't blossom until he left the Dodgers. The way I see it, the gap between Freeland and Kim is pretty narrow, like the 1 point difference in their ML OPS. Even though Freeland got double the ML opportunity than Kim, the Dodgers passed over Freeland for Kim in the postseason. Kim has the edge in speed, Freeland the edge in pop. The gap between these two is so narrow that I find myself hoping that a dark horse like Davalan or Geloff could change the 2B equation in Spring training. Both appear to have higher ceilings on offense. But I find myself circling back to the Elly question... Just as the Dodgers brass has to think about the best time to shift Mookie to 2B, Cincy has to be thinking about the best time to put Elly on the market. My guess is that it won't be this winter, but probably next winter. So maybe Freeland--or Kim or Davalan or Geloff--have one season to stake their claim at 2B. A year ago, a lot of fans, including myself, were predicting that Skubal would probably become a Dodger. The writing was on the wall. Now people are wondering about Elly.