A Dodgers-White Sox trade to give Los Angeles the short-term shortstop solution it needs

The Los Angeles Dodgers were dealt a devastating blow when Mookie Betts was hit in the hand by a pitch. The Dodgers were 44-29 when he went down, and have gone just 9-6 since despite facing several of the worst teams in the majors.

Miguel Rojas has done a fine job as Mookie's replacement at shortstop, but his track record suggests that his offensive output will slow down substantially. With that in mind, adding another infielder should be at or near the top of Andrew Friedman's radar with the trade deadline rapidly approaching.

Betts should be back sometime in August but even then, the Dodgers could use another infielder to replace Gavin Lux who has just a .558 OPS this season. Moving Betts to his more comfortable infield position at second base would be a plus as well.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com links the Dodgers to a solid option, Paul DeJong, who makes a lot of sense as at the very least, a short-term solution for Los Angeles.

A Dodgers-White Sox trade to bring Paul DeJong to Los Angeles

DeJong is having his best season in a half-decade, slashing .237/.282/.456 with 16 home runs and 36 RBI in 82 games for the Chicago White Sox as their starting shortstop. His defense has taken a step back this season, but he's displaying some of the 30-home run power that he showed at the beginning of his career.

There's every reason to believe that DeJong's production would only improve if he was surrounded by more talent going from the 25-64 White Sox to the Dodgers.

In exchange for DeJong, the Dodgers would ship Trey Sweeney out to Chicago. Sweeney was acquired in a trade with the Yankees this past offseason and has had a solid year, hitting 11 home runs and stealing 14 bases in AAA.

Sweeney is a former first-round pick who has seen his stock dip a bit over the years, but he's on the cusp of being MLB-ready and can provide a big lift for the White Sox at the very least until their top prospect, Colson Montgomery, is ready.

Getting an MLB-caliber player in Sweeney is decent value in exchange for DeJong, a player who signed a one-year deal worth just $1.75 million to join the White Sox over the offseason.