CINCINNATI -- Gavin Lux was home in Wisconsin on Monday celebrating his grandfather's 91st birthday when news came that the Dodgers traded him to the Reds. Even after being involved in rumors for a while, it was something to absorb.
"It’s initially a little bit of a shock," Lux said on Tuesday. "That’s a big deal, a lot going on, but we just said, ‘Whatever, we’re going to enjoy the night and celebrate his birthday and go from there.’ We just kept on going."
Quickly, the news was well-received. Despite leaving a perennial postseason contender in Los Angeles for a Reds team that hasn't won its division since 2012, Lux still found plenty to like about the move.
"It’s a way younger team compared to the Dodgers but … a lot of young talent," said Lux, who was acquired for Cincinnati's Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2025 Draft and outfield prospect Mike Sirota. "It felt like every time we came to Cincinnati to play these guys, man, they’ve got really good arms. They know how to game plan. There’s a lot of really good athletes that bounce around -- the kind of guys that play all over. And they run on you and play hard. It’s a good brand of baseball. I really am excited to get it going and help in whatever way I can.”
If nothing else, Cincinnati is much closer to home than Los Angeles for the Kenosha, Wis., native -- and the Reds play in Milwaukee twice a year. They also visit other relatively close cities in the National League Central division.
"Little stuff like that definitely helps and matters. Being close to home is pretty cool," Lux said.
But what will Lux's home position be on the field? That remains to be seen.
Lux, 27, played almost exclusively at second base last season, but he came up as a shortstop and also has logged time in left field and center field. President of baseball operations Nick Krall noted on Monday that the Reds were open to seeing him at third base and first base.
However, Lux has played only one big league game at third base and none at first base.
"I think if I have enough time and heads-up, I can be ready to play wherever these guys need me to," Lux said.
The left-handed-hitting Lux batted .251/.320/.383 with 2.1 bWAR, 10 home runs and 50 RBIs over 139 games for Los Angeles last season. That came after he missed all of 2023 with an ACL tear in his right knee.
In the second half of the 2024 season, Lux batted .304 with an .899 OPS and seven homers over 61 games. He credited his improvement to mental changes in his approach.
"It helped getting further away from surgery and to start trusting it again," Lux said. "I just tried to do more damage. I think I tried to get on base and control the strike zone so much that I didn’t really take any chances to do damage. I kind of just said, ‘Screw it, I’ll trust my eyes and I’m not going to chase the ball. I’m not going to swing at balls. I’m not going to chase outside of the zone.’ Then I just tried to start doing a little more damage, taking more shots."
Hitting at Great American Ball Park, which tends to favor left-handed batters, could be a boost to Lux's numbers.
“It’s a great place to hit. Obviously I’m not going to try coming there and hitting 40 homers, that’s not really my game. But just take quality at-bats, get on base, put the barrel on the ball and do some damage when I can. … But as soon as you start chasing and trying to hit pull-side homers, it’s 'no bueno.' So I’ll stay away from that one.”
Under new Reds manager Terry Francona, there are higher expectations for the club to contend again after a disappointing 77-win season for previous skipper David Bell. That's something Lux is accustomed to from playing for Los Angeles, where he earned two World Series rings and logged 71 postseason at-bats.
That kind of experience is in short supply within the Reds' clubhouse.
“Playoff baseball is a different animal. Everything is under a microscope," Lux said. "There’s a ton of pressure. Playing in L.A. also is a little bit of a pressure cooker, too. I think I’ve been through quite a bit of ups and downs in my career -- injuries, getting sent down, getting brought back up, [changing] positions, all that.
"Hopefully I can be a shoulder for these guys to lean on, because I’ve kind of been through all the ups and downs you can imagine. [It's] just trying to be a good clubhouse guy."