MLB trade rumors: Do Dodgers need to pursue a middle infielder?

With the MLB trade deadline rapidly approaching, we're sure to hear increased chatter about potential moves the Los Angeles Dodgers could pursue. Contending teams will all assuredly be looking for an extra bat or an extra arm for their postseason push. The Dodgers are no exception.

As the sellers are more clearly identified and available players come into focus, there's one type of player seemingly constantly linked to the Dodgers: middle infielders.

MLB.com published a list of 16 players getting increasing attention as the deadline nears, with performance to back it up. Among those players, two were linked to the Dodgers. That pair included White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong and Rockies shortstop Brendan Rodgers. Garrett Crochet was also mentioned, though we've speculated about the Dodgers' potential interest for quite a while.

Instead, DeJong & Rodgers are the focal point here. Because they aren't the first middle infielders to be linked to the Dodgers since the injury to Mookie Betts. And they likely won't be the last.

Each are in the midst of rebound years. DeJong has already matched his 2021 fWAR (1.2) and projects to post his best year since 2019. Rodgers only has one full season under his belt, but appears healthy after only appearing in 46 games last year.

But is this the route we should be sure the Dodgers will pursue? Miguel Rojas is playing extremely well in the absence of Mookie Betts. To the point where the team may slide Betts over to the keystone in order to keep Rojas in the lineup. In the interim, Gavin Lux plays defense at a quality level and has at least shown flashes with the bat.

Betts is currently projected to return within a couple weeks of the July 30th deadline. Forcing a move for a middle infielder may be unwise, given the little time between the two. As such, MLBTradeRumors had a different theory as to the route the Dodgers could go.

That direction included pursing an everyday outfielder rather than a middle infielder. Such a move would allow the team to move Betts over, keep Rojas at the six, and transition Andy Pages & Jason Heyward into more of a platoon situation. Lux would be relegated to a bench role. It's a chance for the Dodgers to maximize their offense while improving their defense.

So while much of the baseball world focuses on which middle infielder could be a Dodger by the end of the month, there's another route here that's being entirely overlooked. And it's one that could yield more for the lineup than limiting the search to the middle of the infield dirt.