Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — With the exit of Trea Turner, which followed the exit of Corey Seager, the Dodgers found themselves a little light at the shortstop position. And while big-ticket shortstops went off the board during free agency this year, the Dodgers seemed to be conspicuously absent from negotiations. Finally, the Dodgers did something about it on Wednesday, trading with the Miami Marlins for slick fielding infielder Miguel Rojas.
To get the veteran, the Dodgers had to give up a top prospect, infielder Jacob Amaya, who is a solid bet to make the Marlins’ big-league roster this year because, well, because they’re the Marlins.
For Rojas and the Dodgers it’s a bit of a reunion, as Rojas got his first taste of big league action in a Dodger uniform way back in 2014. In that year, he appeared in 85 games and hit .181 before being traded to Miami in the deal that brought Austin Barnes and Kike Hernandez to the Ravine. However, it was Rojas’s glove work that had the biggest impact on the Dodger fans memories, as his slick play at third preserved Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter in that year.
Rojas’s career with the Marlins has been solid, if unexceptional. He is a lifetime .260 hitter with not a lot of pop in his bat, hitting only 39 home runs over the course of his career. Rojas batted only .236 last year, his lowest since hitting .181 in 85 appearances with the Dodgers in 2014, but his glove was still superb. He made seven errors in 531 chances at shortstop last season and was an NL Gold Glove finalist — in a year where he was the second-oldest everyday shortstop in the majors behind Elvis Andrus, who split his time between Oakland and the Chicago White Sox.
Plus, manager Don Mattingly raved about Rojas’s leadership abilities, and even made him an honorary manager on the last day of the season a couple of times.
Amaya, 24, was an 11th-round pick by the Dodgers in 2017. He’s spent the last five seasons in their minor league system, batting .256 in 463 games and getting to Triple-A for the first time last year.
Not sure how much this deal moves the needle for the Dodgers, who still have not done much too address the offensive production lost with the Trea Turner exit. However, with no Hanser Alberto this year, and no Justin Turner, the infield was looking a little thin. And if Gavin Lux can’t handle the defensive side of things at short, it will be reassuring to have a glove of Rojas’s caliber on the bench. Plus, Miguel Vargas has yet to prove himself as an everyday MLB player. If need be, Vargas could be benched or sent to OKC with Rojas as an able replacement.
Still, it’s looking like the infield will be Freeman, Muncy, Lux, and Vargas most days. We’ll see where Rojas fits into the plans.
