LOS ANGELES -- At the start of the offseason, the likelihood of the Dodgers retaining Trea Turner were slim to none. Turner had made it clear he wanted to return East, a fact that became even more clear once he took less money to sign with the Phillies instead of joining the Padres on a lucrative deal.

Once the reality set in that Turner wasn’t coming back, it was almost certain that the Dodgers would explore the trade market for a shortstop. Willy Adames was the most obvious pick, but the Brewers aren’t looking to trade their star shortstop just yet. Nor are the White Sox looking to part ways with Tim Anderson, who also wouldn’t be a good fit.

As the top options kept coming off the board, Gavin Lux taking over as the primary shortstop became more and more realistic. That, however, didn’t stop the Dodgers from adding infield depth in a trade with the Marlins that brought in Miguel Rojas in exchange for prospect Jacob Amaya.

Amaya wasn’t a part of the club's future given his struggles at the plate. That made it easy for the Dodgers to swing the trade. Now, where exactly does Rojas fit into Los Angeles' fold?

Lux is still expected to be the team’s primary shortstop this season. The 25-year-old has been working out at Dodger Stadium for the majority of the offseason and has put on nearly 15 pounds of muscle, which should help his arm strength and power numbers at the plate.

Rojas is considered the better fielder, which could result in him getting into games as a defensive replacement, when needed. He had a nightmare season at the plate in 2022, but the Dodgers are betting Rojas hits closer to his .719 career OPS against southpaws.

Keeping Lux at shortstop, especially against right-handed pitching, and adding Rojas to handle lefties gives the Dodgers their desired positional flexibility in order to maximize matchups. It allows Chris Taylor to stay in the outfield, a position of need for the club, and it keeps Miguel Vargas and Max Muncy relevant at second and third base, respectively.

Acquiring Rojas isn’t a move that will swing the landscape in the NL West. The Dodgers have a lot more competition this season, with the Padres being the most likely threat. But adding another proven defender gives the team some insurance if Lux or Vargas struggle -- either at the plate or defensively.

The Dodgers have been excellent at finding under-the-radar contributors through Minor League deals, and they’re hoping to have that same level of success this offseason. Outfielder Jason Heyward is the big name on board, and he’ll have every opportunity to win a job this spring. Heyward has been a fixture in workouts at Dodger Stadium. He also has Freddie Freeman in his corner, which never hurts.

Los Angeles added two interesting names to their non-roster invitee list this week, too: right-handers Jordan Yamamoto and Wander Suero.

Yamamoto has spent time with the Marlins and Mets, but he didn’t see any big league action in 2022, as he spent all of his time in the Minors. The pitcher struggled last season, but the Dodgers are intrigued with his ability to spin the baseball. Yamamoto finished in the 92nd percentile in fastball spin during the '21 season.

The full list of non-roster invitees, which will include some top prospects, should be released in the next week to 10 days.

• Speaking of prospects, MLB Pipeline will be unveiling their first Top 100 prospect list of the season on Thursday. The Dodgers had five players on the list last season and are expected to be well-represented once again, as the club continues to build one of the best farm systems in baseball.

• No former Dodgers came close to making the Hall of Fame this season, but Adrian Beltré is expected to get the call in 2024. Beltré, of course, spent most of his time with the Rangers, but he still had a memorable career with L.A. Adrián González and Chase Utley will also be on the ballot for the first time next year.

• The Dodgers announced FanFest will be returning on Feb. 4 and tickets (which are free) are now available for download. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT.

• The promotional schedule for the first half of the season was also released on Tuesday and it includes bobbleheads for a lot of players on the team: Freddie Freeman (April 1), Julio Urías (April 3), Dustin May (May 1), Mookie Betts (May 15), Will Smith (June 13), Clayton Kershaw (June 15), Gavin Lux (July 3) and Tony Gonsolin (July 6).

The Dodgers also announced they’ll be doing drone shows on Fridays. Friday Night Fireworks will continue, but it won’t be done every Friday like it has in the past.

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