Could Minnesota Twins Find Themselves Rushing to the Dodgers for a Catcher?

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 prospect. That name was also prominently featured in the comments of a recent article discussing core-altering moves the Twins could make. It's the current backup catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dalton Rushing. 

There are plenty of reasons to hope for the acquisition of the left-handed hitter and backstop. Rushing was the Dodgers' top pick in 2022, 40th overall, and he entered last season being regarded by many as the organization's top prospect. Rushing also has a very robust 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 shine up the defensive rawness later.  

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. A little more than a year ago, Smith and the Dodgers agreed to a 10-year, $140-million contract. Plainly, he's the long-term plan as the primary backstop in Los Angeles. That's 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. Some believe one motivation for the move is 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 who 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's a hard trade to evaluate, and it is the value of Contreras to focus on, as he was a backup in Atlanta before the deal. The three-team makeup of the trade does add to the difficulty of evaluating the value Contreras had. 

If we look just at what the Brewers gave up, this trade continues to look like an absolute steal for Milwaukee. Somehow, the Crew 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. We can best estimate what Contreras was worth by observing that he got involved in a deal for Murphy, an established, star-caliber backstop.

A more directly applicable trade may be the swap 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 30th on MLB Pipeline's list this spring. Mejia, like Rushing, was also regarded as a bat-first catcher with a need to improve his defense. In return for Mejia, the Cleveland club got Brad Hand and Adam Cimber. 

At the time of the trade, Hand held a 3.05 ERA, 24 saves, and 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings. 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 toward 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. 

Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Willi Castro, and Harrison Bader feel like the plausible pieces in a trade package. Castro and Bader are free agents at the end of the season, so their value is limited, but that of Duran and Jax is quite high. 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's all it takes. He's under control for two more seasons beyond this one, so acquiring him would be a medium-term play at the back end of the bullpen. Ultimately, a potential marriage between the Dodgers and Twins remains a possibility. 

If a trade for Rushing can’t be figured out, attention could turn to fellow catching prospect Hunter Feduccia. Feduccia is sort of the opposite of Rushing in terms of skillsets; he's 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; it's now or never for him. Rushing, 24, has more time. 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?