Dodgers: 3 trade deadline chips LAD will regret moving

1. Keibert Ruiz

In the past, we’ve advocated for the Dodgers to figure out a plan for Keibert Ruiz, who’s been their top prospect for what feels like an eternity, leading to an unfair level of fatigue. That said, if Will Smith is the catcher of the future, where does Ruiz go? A high-profile trade package might be in the best interest of both sides.

Short of a trade for the likely-unavailable Scherzer, though, there’s no deal on the table on July 30 that makes sense for Ruiz. LA should at the very least hip pocket their biggest asset until the offseason.

We still don’t know where Ruiz goes, especially since cutting bait entirely with a potential multi-time All-Star like Smith seems ill-advised. Much like Chunky in “I Think You Should Leave,” Ruiz had all summer to figure out what he does, and he came back mashing behind the plate, which would be extremely helpful for most teams and is kind of redundant in Hollywood.

Ho-hum. He’s 23. He has a .958 OPS with 13 bombs at Triple-A. Meanwhile, JT Realmuto and Gary Sanchez are the only non-Dodger good catchers in all of Major League Baseball. Surely, Los Angeles would like to eventually share with the rest of the class.

We’re not confident in either Cartaya or Ruiz being part of the Dodgers’ long-term plan, and it’s likely they sell high on their 19-year-old breakout star when the season wraps. Not midsummer, though. Not worth it.

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