Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman and senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz discuss what Mookie Betts leaving the outfield could mean for the Dodgers in the 2025 season. Hear the full conversation on the “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

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I can't get over.

I know we talked about it briefly, uh, you know, last week, but this Mookie bets going back to the infield thing is so fascinating.

Like I, I think the fact that Brandon Gomes was like, yeah, this is something that Mookie wants to do.

It's something that he thinks is going to be less of a toll on his body, but that we don't know if he's going to play shortstop or second base.

I just, I'm so interested that they are choosing to basically plug a hole in the infield that doesn't seem to really exist and open up a hole in the outfield where they right now don't really have any outfielders besides Andy Pas and James Alman, remember him?

And so how the Dodgers outfield kind of shakes out, I think is every bit as interesting in what they end up doing, which I think is more likely to be, you know, signing a big pitcher and moving on because while they do have, you know, a million famous pitchers, how many of them are going to throw more than 100 innings who is to say, but that Dodgers outfield, how that shakes out, especially if they somehow don't retain Ta Oscar is really interesting to me.

I think Mookie as a shortstop is even more interesting.

Is it admirable for him to play shortstop and to try it and to take that challenge on?

Yeah, obviously.

But there are two unavoidable facts.

One, he's not that good at it and two, he's 32 and he's not going to get that much better at it.

Now, Mookie Betts has proved me and you and everyone else in this baseball world wrong many, many times.

So maybe he just shows up next year and wins a gold glove at shortstop.

And I, I would be impressed but not particularly shocked that being said, I think he has to be thought of as the second baseman.

Now, what that means for Gavin luck.

I don't know.

And I, I am empathetic to the idea that it is better for his body to be on the infield.

And I do agree with that and I think that because he's such a dynamo offensively that you make that call and you move blocks if you need to.

But I just can't envision him as a everyday shortstop.

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