Dodgers Rumors: LA attempted Yankees catching trades at deadline but got denied

The Los Angeles Dodgers were heavily in on the catching market at the trade deadline. The Dodgers were seeking a backup option while Will Smith was on the injured list with a neck issue and Dalton Rushing was placed on the IL with a partially torn UCL in his right elbow.

They wound up with a familiar face in backstop Ben Rortvedt, who they acquired from the New York Mets for right-handed pitcher Chayce McDermott. They also landed catcher Hunter Feduccia and right-hander Jacob Kmatz from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Jack Suwinski and other considerations.

But before bringing in these two catchers, the Dodgers spoke to the New York Yankees about another pair of backstops as well. Sources informed FanSided that the Dodgers had interest in both J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez at the deadline.

Sanchez is currently the Yankees' backup catcher to starter Austin Wells, and the team's only right-handed hitting option behind the plate. Escarra, a left-handed bat, has appeared in just 32 big league games this year, hitting .188 with a .510 OPS. However, Escarra is having a big year offensively in Triple-A with an .882 OPS and 10 homers in 50 games. He is also a strong defensive catcher.

Why Yankees opted not to trade backup catcher to Dodgers

The Yankees were hesitant to move Escarra or Sanchez given their thin catching situation in addition to the struggles of Wells this year. Wells is having a historically bad offensive campaign, batting .190/.280/.317 with a .597 OPS, 10 home runs and 28 RBI in 105 games.

But this year has been an outlier for Wells, who clubbed 21 homers a season ago. And he has picked things up at the plate lately, hitting .270/.337/.446 in his last 30 games. Wells also has a .333/.316/.667 slash line with two homers and nine RBI in his last seven games. He's picked things back up nicely.

The Yankees were looking to add a catcher at the deadline, but were unable to do so. That further suggests they were unwilling to trade one if they couldn't get another in return.

Dodgers' catching outlook after Will Smith returns to lineup

The good news for the Dodgers is that both Smith and Rushing have returned from the IL. That being said, Rushing is unable to catch because his elbow injury prevents him from throwing. The Dodgers opted to keep Feduccia as their backup over Rortvedt, who was designated for assignment on Sept. 1.

Los Angeles is hoping that Smith can revert back to All-Star form now that he is healthy again. So far, Smith is 1-for-6 in two games since coming off the IL. He has caught one game and came off the bench in the other.

The Dodgers' end game is simply getting to the postseason, returning to full strength, and letting their clutch play speak for itself. It's not the end of the world they couldn't bolster the ranks with a better catcher, especially with Feduccia performing adequately so far.

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