With the MLB trade deadline four days away, speculation continues to swirl around the Los Angeles Dodgers’ potential plans.
Several reports have indicated that the Dodgers are more likely to sell than buy despite facing some questions due to injuries. Manager Dave Roberts suggested as much last week given the team’s impending roster crunch as players start to return.
However, the Dodgers could still look to improve on the fringes and reportedly have been considering adding another backup catcher with Will Smith not yet available, via Katie Woo of The Athletic.
They continue to weigh adding a second backup catcher as Smith works his way back to a return. However, if the Dodgers add another catcher, it won’t come at the expense of Dalton Rushing’s playing time. Sources say they are looking at a potential third-string catcher to slide ahead of Eliezer Alfonso and Chuckie Robinson.
The Dodgers have been relying on Dalton Rushing as their starting catcher for the last seven weeks, and while he has done a solid job filling in, the organization’s overall catching depth is not as strong without Smith.
Eliezer Alfonzo and Chuckie Robinson have both struggled offensively in limited opportunities as the backup catcher, so the Dodgers could certainly stand to upgrade at the position. Such may be necessary with Smith’s timeline for return unclear as he just resumes baseball activities.
Even if the 31-year-old returns by the end of the season as expected, there would be added risk in counting on him to remain healthy through October given some of the unpredictability that can arise with a disc issue.
Who could Dodgers trade for backup catcher?
With the Dodgers looking to bolster their farm system ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, they presumably would be inclined to deal from their Major League roster to acquire a backup catcher.
Two potential trade candidates are Alex Call and Eric Lauer, who may see their roles reduced in the coming weeks with players returning from the IL.
The Dodgers could be motivated to trade Lauer due to the left-hander not necessarily projecting to factor prominently in their postseason pitching plans. As for Call, he could become somewhat of a redundancy on the roster given that Kiké Hernández was activated on Tuesday.
But the Dodgers might also be able to pull from lower levels in their farm system in order to trade for third catcher.
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