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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ front management is prepared to give Mookie Betts a go at shortstop and second base in 2025, even though he played right field in the World Series.
Even though they just won the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t hesitant to make some changes.

Earlier this week, at the MLB General Manager Meetings, Brandon Gomes, the executive vice president of the Dodgers, stated that Mookie Betts will most likely return to the infield in 2025. This year, Betts returned to right field full-time for the playoffs and the rest of the season after attempting to play second base in 2023 and shortstop in 2024.

The prospect of starting the eight-time All-Star out of position is unpopular with one of Betts’s former colleagues.

On Thursday’s edition of “MLB Tonight” on MLB Network, the question was put to Jake Peavy, who was a Boston Red Sox teammate of Betts’s in 2014, on his feelings regarding the trade. Both the former pitcher and host Brian Kelly were against the Dodgers’ choice to move Betts back to the infield, which they believed would weaken their own outfield.

“I don’t like him at shortstop, I think it was a lot to ask,” stated Peavy. Even though he’s not exceptional, he can accomplish it. At shortstop, you should want to be as powerful as possible. My heart desires second base, but I believe he would be more at home in right field, where he is among our greatest players.

While Peavy may lack experience in the outfield or infield, he is more than capable of discussing defense. Throughout his 15-year career, he recorded five defensive runs saved, won a Gold Glove in 2012 with the Chicago White Sox, and committed just 16 errors.

Peavy amassed 152 victories, 2,207 strikeouts, and 39.2 wins against average as a pitcher. While playing with the San Diego Padres in 2007, the three-time All-Star won the National League Cy Young Award. He also won World Series rings in 2013 and 2014 with the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants, respectively.

Despite being eleven years Peavy’s junior, Betts has put together an even more stellar CV. Among active position players, Betts now has a career WAR of 69.6 after spending six years in Boston and five in Los Angeles.

As a young player in the Red Sox’s minor league system, Betts played second base. Betts switched to outfielding and won six Gold Gloves, but Dustin Pedroia was already playing that position for the Red Sox.

In his career, Betts has 132 runs saved while playing right field defensively. His defensive run totals include four in 118 games played at second base and three in eighty-one games played at shortstop.

Both Peavy and Kenny noted that the Dodgers had a huge advantage over the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series due to Betts’ glove and range in right field. This was especially true while Juan Soto was playing for the Yankees. It has still to be determined how long this risky strategy to sacrifice that advantage for defensive versatility pays off.

Due to a wrist fracture that sidelined him for about two months, Betts only got in 116 games throughout the regular season. In his 346.0 innings back, Betts played 338.0 of them in right field.

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