CINCINNATI — Gavin Lux was home in Wisconsin on Monday celebrating his grandfather’s 91st birthday when news came that the Dodgers traded him to the Reds. Even after being involved in rumors for a while, it was something to absorb.
“It’s initially a little bit of a shock,” Lux said on Tuesday. “That’s a big deal, a lot going on, but we just said, ‘Whatever, we’re going to enjoy the night and celebrate his birthday and go from there.’ We just kept on going.”
Quickly, the news was well-received. Despite leaving a perennial postseason contender in Los Angeles for a Reds team that hasn’t won its division since 2012, Lux still found plenty to like about the move.
“It’s a way younger team compared to the Dodgers but … a lot of young talent,” said Lux, who was acquired for Cincinnati’s Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2025 Draft and outfield prospect Mike Sirota. “It felt like every time we came to Cincinnati to play these guys, man, they’ve got really good arms. They know how to game plan. There’s a lot of really good athletes that bounce around — the kind of guys that play all over. And they run on you and play hard. It’s a good brand of baseball. I really am excited to get it going and help in whatever way I can.”
If nothing else, Cincinnati is much closer to home than Los Angeles for the Kenosha, Wis., native — and the Reds play in Milwaukee twice a year. They also visit other relatively close cities in the National League Central division.
“Little stuff like that definitely helps and matters. Being close to home is pretty cool,” Lux said.
But what will Lux’s home position be on the field? That remains to be seen.
Lux, 27, played almost exclusively at second base last season, but he came up as a shortstop and also has logged time in left field and center field. President of baseball operations Nick Krall noted on Monday that the Reds were open to seeing him at third base and first base.
