Prospect Dodgers stole from Reds in Gavin Lux trade is making Cincy look foolish

Nick Krall may have gifted one of the Cincinnati Reds best prospects to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this year. The Reds traded Mike Sirota and a Competitive Balance draft pick to the Dodgers in exchange for Gavin Lux. While Lux has been a serviceable member of the Reds roster this season, Sirota's became one of the best prospects in all of Major League Baseball.

Lux has had his moments this season, but his transformation from an infielder to an outfielder has gone about as good as one could expect. Lux has been worth -5 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -6 outs above average (OAA) in left field this season. His defensive performance at second base (-4 DRS and -3 OAA) hasn't been any better.

As such, Reds manager Terry Francona has been forced to use Lux as the team's primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Lux is hitting .275/.360/.392 against righties, so his performance in 2025 hasn't been a complete disaster.

Dodgers stole Mike Sirota from the Reds in the Gavin Lux trade

Sirota, on the other hand, looks like a top-100 prospect. In fact, Sirota went all the way from unranked prior to the 2025 season, to the No. 63 ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline. One look at his numbers from this season will show you exactly why.

Sirota, who was a third-round draft pick of the Reds back in 2024, hit a combined .333/.452/.616 between Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes this season. The obvious number that stick out from that slash line is the .616 slugging percentage. Sirota mashed 13 home runs and collected a total of 32 extra-base hits in 59 minor league games this season.

It remains to be seen whether or not Sirota's success from 2025 — his first professional season — will carry over to 2026, but a large majority of scouts believe it will. The 22-year-old's season ended prematurely after he was placed on the IL with a knee injury, but he's likely to return to Dodgers camp next spring in Arizona.

Lux is under team control through next season, but be could become a non-tender candidate this coming fall. At the moment, Reds fans are probably experiencing some form of regret after watching Sirota turn into that power-hitting outfielder they're constantly clamoring for.

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