1 contract extension the Dodgers should make soon and 1 to avoid

The big, bad Los Angeles Dodgers don't quite have the top-level talent that the 2022 squad had, but the club is still stacked from top to bottom.

The 2023 offense is already being carried by players like Will Smith, Trayce Thompson, Jason Heyward and James Outman. Smith is the only player that entered the year with a guaranteed spot on the roster, so this production is somewhat surprising (but most welcomed) from some of the other contributors.

Gavin Lux, the club's promising middle infielder who was finally in line for some consistent playing time now that Trea Turner had moved on, went down with a gruesome injury in Spring Training that will keep him out for the entire year.

Other spots in the lineup are being occupied by a bunch of players on the wrong side of 30, including JD Martinez, David Peralta, Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor and Austin Barnes, not to mention superstar-level players like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.

The pitching staff has already been ravaged by injuries and the season is nary a week old. As of right now, eight pitchers are on the injured list, and three of them are on the 60-day IL.

Leading the staff is Julio Urías who, once again, is flashing ace-level stuff. He, like the aforementioned Smith, are beginning to fall under the "extension candidate" category. Both players are of extreme importance to the team in both the short and long-term.

Whether it's apparent on the surface or not, one of these gentlemen should be extended as soon as possible, while one deal should be avoided. Let's dive into it and see which one could actually be out the door rather than being extended.

The Los Angeles Dodgers should not extend Will Smith.

Yes, you read that right. Such a statement is sure to upset fans of the Dodgers, but there's a method to the madness.

Smith, 28, has spent the last two seasons establishing himself as one of the better young catchers in the game. In 2021, he hit 25 home runs with 76 RBI and an OPS+ of 127. He followed that up last year by hitting 24 home runs and driving in 87. His 127 wRC+ from last season was the third-best in all of baseball at the catcher position behind only J.T. Realmuto and Sean Murphy (amongst qualifying backstops).

During the 2022-2023 offseason, Smith actually began to find his name pop up in trade rumors fueled by MLB insiders. Obviously, catchers of his caliber don't just grow on trees, so why on earth would the Dodgers even consider such a move?

There are two reasons for such a move to be in the realm of possibility, and their names are Diego Cartaya and Dalton Rushing.

Cartaya, 21, is the organization's No. 1 prospect and is widely expected to be the team's catcher of the future. Last year at just 20 years old, he hit 22 doubles and 22 home runs with 72 RBI in just 95 games. He showed off a highly impressive eye at the plate, drawing a ton of walks along the way, and looked mature beyond his years both at the plate and behind it.

This past offseason, the Dodgers put Cartaya on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. At this point, his big league debut is not terribly far off, putting a ton of pressure on someone like Smith.

Then there's Rushing, a 22-year-old backstop who is the organization's No. 7 prospect entering the current season (also per MLB Pipeline). He, like Cartaya, had a monstrous year in the minors last year and could already be forcing the Dodgers' hands in the immediate future.

Rushing swings it from the left side and only just made his professional debut last year. In 30 games split between two levels, he hit 11 doubles and eight home runs with 30 RBI. He also walked (22) as many times as he struck out and had a .404 (!!!) batting average. He's already beginning to get some reps at first base, too, so he could either take over behind the plate for the Dodgers in the near future or give the club another option at 1B/DH.

Either way, it seems that Smith's days are numbered in Los Angeles. He is obviously an incredible talent, but some of the emerging prospects underneath him on the totem pole are beginning to make so much noise that they can't be kept down forever. Smith is a free agent at the conclusion of the 2025 season, so flip him for a massive package and see what you have in the young guys.