The Los Angeles Dodgers have traded for veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas, sending infield prospect Jacob Amaya back to the Miami Marlins, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. The Athletic first reported that the teams were deep in trade negotiations.
Rojas, who turns 34 in February, is coming off a 2022 season with the Marlins in which he slashed .236/.283/.323 with six home runs and nine stolen bases in 140 games. For his career, Rojas an OPS+ of 85 with more than 5,500 defensive innings at the shortstop position. Per Statcast estimates, Rojas remains a plus fielder at the position.
Rojas, who was initially signed by the Reds as an amateur out of Venezuela, made his major-league debut with the Dodgers in 2014 as a 25-year-old. The following offseason, however, he went to Miami as part of a seven-player trade that also involved notable names like Enrique Hernández, Dan Haren, Dee Strange-Gordon, Andrew Heaney, and Austin Barnes. In his return to Los Angeles, Rojas figures to help fill the middle-infield void left by the departure of shortstop Trea Turner, who signed a free-agent contract with the Phillies earlier this winter. Rojas could form a platoon at short with the left-handed-hitting Gavin Lux while also being an occasional option at second and third.
On the Marlins' side of things, Amaya, 24, is a former 11th-rounder. Across parts of five minor-league seasons, he's put up a line of .256/.362/.393 with 42 home runs, good walk rates, and significant time spent at short and second. This past season, Amaya split time between the Double- and Triple-A levels.
