The Los Angeles Dodgers have a few things to focus on as far as their roster goes this offseason, but Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain believes they should address their shortstop situation for the upcoming year.
The Dodgers currently have Mookie Betts playing short for them, and while his defense has been stellar, he hasn’t looked the same at the plate for the past two seasons. Since the beginning of the 2025 season, Betts has hit 43 homers and driven in 151 runs for the Dodgers, posting a .7533 OPS for a 108 OPS+.
While those numbers are good, they’re a far cry from the levels he reached in the outfield. Additionally, Miguel Rojas retired after 2026, reducing the Dodgers’ infield depth.
Who Would the Dodgers Acquire as Their New Shortstop?
As far as Betts’ replacement goes, McKain suggested the Dodgers pursue Houston Astros infielder Jeremy Pena.
“How about Jeremy Pena of the Houston Astros?” McKain said. “Bobby Witt Jr. would be a dream, that’s unlikely. But they need a shortstop. They really do. I’m not going to sit through the Mookie Betts ‘Hey, I’m pretty good at shortstop.’ We get it. You did it. It’s great. I’m happy for you.
“…But one thing I worry about is, Mookie’s not going to have Miguel Rojas around 24/7 to—as Mookie said—walk him through and hold his hand through being a shortstop. I just don’t want to sit through Mookie struggling at the plate for five months out of the year again. It’s agonizing.”
Who is Jeremy Pena?
Pena, an All-Star in 2025, has spent his entire professional career with the Astros, and broke out over the past two seasons.
He had an .840 OPS in 2025, hitting 17 homers and driving in 63 runs while posting a career-best 5.7 bWAR, and had a solid season in 2026 as well.
Pena featured in 112 games this past season, posting an .802 OPS with 22 homers and 56 RBIs. His defense left a lot to be desired, though, as he had a minus-5 fielding run value and minus-6 outs above average on the year.
This wouldn’t be a long-term solution for the Dodgers, though, as Pena is only under contract through the 2027 season.
Would you trade for Jeremy Pena?
One Response
In his Astros career he is a 100 wRC+ hitter (MLB average) on the road, at home he is 122 wRC+. In his best season (2025) he was 100 wRC+ on the road, 171 wRC+ at home. No thanks.