Dodgers Trade Rumors: Carlos Ruiz?

The Dodgers could move a catcher this offseason, and it might be the one we wouldn’t expect.

When the Dodgers acquired Carlos Ruiz, the move was heavily scrutinized. Ruiz’s major sin was that he is not A.J. Ellis. Dodger fans are used to cheering for A.J., who was drafted by LA in 2003 and is Clayton Kershaw‘s best friend. Despite his waning skills at the plate and never-existent framing skills, Ellis was a fan favorite.

Ruiz didn’t exactly endear himself to Dodger fans. It started in the 2008 NLCS, as Ruiz feasted on Dodger pitching. He did the same in the 2009 NLCS, so fans weren’t too high on him. One of the main complaints (and the only one I even remotely agreed with) was how hard it would be for a catcher to join a new team mid-season. Having to get comfortable with a whole new pitching staff, learning how pitches break and how they like to sequence. If you’re getting a Jonathan Lucroy or another great everyday catcher, sure. But to make a change like that in the middle of a season for a backup catcher, a lot more risky.

This came to fruition in Ruiz’s Dodger debut. Ruiz got on base twice in five ABs against the Cubs on August 26th, but struggled behind the plate in the ninth inning to allow the Cubs to tie the game.

Ruiz redeemed himself with a couple huge hits in the postseason and proved that he’s an undoubtably better player than Ellis. His contract is also team-friendly, as he has a $4.5 million team option for next season with a $500K buyout. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Dodgers would pick it up. However:

For starters, those two names on Rosenthal’s first tweet. It would probably surprise me if Pat Neshek or Fernando Rodney aren’t Dodgers next year. They’d each be a solid back-of-the-bullpen arm (read, eighth inning guy, not closer). The Dodgers had interest in Neshek (even reportedly offering him the most money in FA), but missed out on him.

The more-pertinent part of his tweets involves Ruiz. According to Rosenthal’s sources, the Dodgers are making Ruiz available in trade as they’d rather have Austin Barnes as the primary backup catcher.

All three catchers (Yasmani Grandal, Ruiz and Barnes) were on the NLDS roster. It was sort of fun to have three active catchers, as Ruiz was able to pinch hit without concern about not having a backup catcher. Ruiz responded with a pair of clutch pinch hits (homer in game three, go-ahead single in game five).

Barnes is also not a complete waste as a third catcher. Not only is he skilled behind the plate, but he’s had reps at second, third and the outfield in the minors and could be featured as a utility guy.

Next: Should the Dodgers revisit a Puig trade?

Ruiz would probably have a few suitors. He’s a solid veteran presence and while he probably isn’t an everyday catcher anymore, it’s hard to find many backup catchers better than him. He’s affordable and he’d surely be great for a team with a young catcher (Cubs/Yankees/Miami).

Barnes is probably a better trade chip at this point, but he’s also a lot more desirable for the Dodgers longterm. He’ll be 27 in December, so his time as the Dodgers’ backup catcher could be next season.