Rushing to the Dodgers for a Catcher

[Nate Palmer]

As fans root for the Minnesota Twins to make positive moves and impact on the roster as the trade deadline approaches, one name continues to come up around baseball as a coveted name. That name was also prominently featured in the comments of a recent article discussing core-altering moves the Twins could make. That is the current backup catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dalton Rushing. 

There are plenty of reasons to desire the acquisition of the left-handed backstop. Rushing was the Dodgers top pick in 2022, number 40 overall, and entered last season being regarded by many as the organization's top prospect. Rushing also has a very high power tool and has hit for an .OPS above .800 each year in the minors. His defense still needs some polish, but many teams will be willing to take the hit tools Rushing possesses and work to polish up the defensive rawness.  

If he is so great, why would the Dodgers part ways with him? For starters, they have All-Star catcher Will Smith in front of him at catcher. Just a little more than a year ago, Smith and the Dodgers agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract. That gives little window of opportunity for any other catchers to play. That is why Rushing’s promotion to the majors has drawn many eyes. 

It seems like an inefficient way to raise a prospect to give them a backup role, causing speculation that it is a move to give other clubs, like the Twins, a chance to evaluate Rushing as a major leaguer. There has been no confirmation that the Dodgers are looking to trade the young catcher, but Rushing is undoubtedly the type of prospect that draws eyes from teams looking for a long term answer behind the plate. 

The Twins would look at a young catcher like Rushing because, at the moment, there isn’t any clear future starter behind Ryan Jeffers in the system. Especially not anyone with Rushing’s ceiling. This offseason, Jeffers will enter his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent. The Twins then face a significant decision. Pay Jeffers or find a replacement. 

What could a trade look like? 
To get an idea, we can examine a few catcher trades to understand value. One recent trade of note involved Sean Murphy and William Contreras. It is a hard trade to evaluate, and it is the value of Contreras to focus on as he was a backup in Atlanta before the trade. The three-team makeup of the trade does add to the difficulty of evaluating the trade value of Contreras. 

If we look just at what the Brewers gave up, this trade continues to look like an absolute steal for Milwaukee. Somehow, the Milwaukee club only gave up Esteury Ruiz. Since the trade, Ruiz flashed a bit in his first season with Oakland. Most notably by stealing 67 bases, but he hasn’t done much since that season. The Twins aren’t getting Rushing for a Ruiz-type prospect. That is where the value evaluation gets tricky, because there is a harder-to-measure value in how the Braves felt about Murphy and their willingness to give up Contreras. 

A more directly applicable trade may be the trade of former Cleveland prospect Francisco Mejia. At the time of the trade in 2018, Mejia was regarded as a better prospect, being ranked among the top 20 on many lists. Rushing was most recently ranked 75th by MLB.com in 2024. Mejia, like Rushing, was also regarded as a bat-first catcher with a need to improve his defense. In return for Mejia, the Indians got Brad Hand and Amber Cimber. 

At the time of the trade, Hand held a 3.05 ERA, 24 saves, and a 13.2 K/9 rate. Cimber was in his first season and held a 3.17 ERA and a 9.5 K/9. Cleveland received two good relievers for Mejia. This gives us more to work with as far as a framework. The question remains: Do the Dodgers agree with this as the sort of value Rushing has?

What are the Dodgers Needs?
The Dodgers, if they trade Rushing, are likely to want impact talent that can elevate them immediately towards their World Series dreams. We know the core in L.A. is ready to carry the team into the postseason. The areas the Dodgers would likely desire an upgrade in start with pitching, likely end with pitching, but may detour to a backup outfielder. 

A combination of Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Willi Castro, and Harrison Bader begins to make sense in a trade package. It may increase from two players, as seen in the Mejia trade, to three, considering Castro and Bader are free agents at the end of the season. Of course, a lot would depend on how much the Twins believe in Rushing or the Dodgers believe in and need whatever Twin(s) they are getting in return. 

For instance, if the Dodgers think Duran is the final piece to their bullpen puzzle, then maybe that is all it takes. Ultimately, a potential marriage between the Dodgers and Twins remains a possibility. 

If a trade for Rushing can’t be figured out, attention could be turned to fellow catching prospect Hunter Feduccia. Feduccia is somewhat of a reverse in terms of skillsets and has primarily been regarded as a more defensive catcher. So far in his minor league career, Feduccia has shown that label doesn’t mean his bat should be forgotten. In the past three minor league seasons, the lefty has hit for an OPS over .800 at Triple-A Oklahoma City. 

This winter Cody Schoenmann proposed a trade for Feduccia for the Twins. Feduccia has traditionally been considered the lesser of the two prospects. Still, there is a realm where Feduccia may keep a good enough bat that he is ultimately a better major league player than Rushing. The clock is ticking as Feduccia is already 28 years old (Rushing is 24) and 28 is getting late fast for a prospect.  If the Dodgers value him less than Rushing and it takes a lesser package to acquire Feduccia, it may be the deal to strike if the Twins front office believes in the bat.

Are either of these catching prospects a place you would like to see the Twins use their trade assets? What package do you consider most suitable to get a deal done?  

 

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[Doctor Gast]

Yes we really need a catcher & Rushing probably is close to the top of my list, together with Keel & O Quero (CWS) & followed close behind J Quero(MIL). If LAD takes Duran straight up, I'll bite, but IMO they'll want more. I really wanted Feducci over Cartaya for a little bit more. We could still do a deal with them.

[old nurse]

Mejia was a hit first catcher who couldn’t hit big league pitching. Feduchia is 28, had a couple cups of coffee. He could probably be a fair return for Paddack and a prospect. They could even throw in Topa   Rushing would be more, but if the Dodgers put a high value on him, I don’t see the Twins giving up a quality starter for him. 

[DocBauer]

This is a very interesting proposal, especially since Rushing was a target of mine in the offseason, but based more on prospects. Now the proposal is a top ML closer with control.

Not sure I like that deal as much now as I did as an offseason deal. Of course, things have changed as the Dodgers have also had to deal with a lot of injuries.

Honestly...and I'll get pushback as I'm a fan and many aren't...even with Twins ownership hanging in the balance...I'm not so sure Jeffers isn't signed to an extension. Solid, quality backstops with above offense are difficult to find. 

I think I'd be more interested in the 28yo Feduccia for Bader, or Paddack. If the Dodgers need some OF help, who might be better than a GG CF who has also proved to be equally outstanding in LF? He's by no means a great hitter, but he offers some pop and speed in addition to his great defense. 

Currently, the Dodgers are getting good production from Hernandez and Pages. Conforto has done nothing. Is he hurt? I might have missed that. So Bader could be a really good get for their 3rd catcher.

Paddack can fill a back of the rotation spot for now, and be moved to the pen as a decent velocity RP option. Again, for their 3rd catcher, this could be a good move.

The Twins get a 28yo defensive catcher with a good arm who has AT LEAST hit well at the AAA level for a FA that walks away if not traded. Being LH as a batter is a small bonus. For a team sitting in transition at the moment, this might be the smarter move.

Jeffers was recently asked what it might feel like to catch 100-110 games. He said he didn't know because he hadn't been asked to do so. And the platoon at catcher the Twins have done since Falvey and company took over has worked. Do you realize they've, so far, only had TWO catchers start games over 2 1/2 years? 

MAYBE an older but not ancient 28yo defense first catcher with some offensive upside from one of the top teams/systems in MLB for a pending FA is the smart move to make here.

I think if the Twins made any sort of MAJOR move, I'd rather wait for the offseason.

[David HK]

We have a serious lack of ex-Dodger catchers in our system.

Oh, wait, we don't...

[Guest]

Oh, puhlleeezzzeeeeeee....

[tony&rodney]

Hard to add catchers during the season. This feels like a conversation for November. Nevertheless, I'll throw out some names - Christian Vazquez, Griffin Jax, and Emmanuel Rodriguez for Dalton Rushing, Emmet Sheehan, and River Ryan. Seems balanced enough.

[Mike Sixel]

I mean, I'm interested, depending on the price. 

[jorgenswest]

Bullpen is so critical in the playoffs. More critical than catcher. So many of the current Twins are controlled through 2028 like Duran. The deal is fair. They almost certainly would win this deal on paper when the WARs are calculated 6 years from now. I think it lessens the chance they will make a run in the playoffs. I wouldn’t do it. 

[bjorks]

Cardinals have better options and potentially "cheaper" alternatives than Rushing. Jimmy Crooks (L) probably being the most MLB ready, but Leandro Bernal (switch hitter) is right there too and he'll be Rule 5 eligible. They even have another kid in high A I think. 

[Eris]

A discussion of the Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps trade might be worthy of inclusion in the article regarding the value of excess catching talent.