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Over the next three weeks, baseball's front offices will be abuzz with activity. Options will be picked up or declined, players on the 60-day IL will need to be reactivated, and young players must be added to teams’ 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Plus, teams will need to make decisions on whether to tender contracts to players who are arbitration-eligible. This leads to many teams experiencing a roster crunch. It’s always an exciting time of year, because it gives us a glimpse into teams’ strategies and their views on their players. Often, blocked prospects are put on the trade market to maximize rosters and even out gaps.
Enter the Dodgers and Dalton Rushing.
The Dodgers’ top prospect, Rushing is a consensus top-100 player, ranked as high as 27th nationally by Baseball Prospectus. The Dodgers drafted him 40th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Louisville, and since then, he’s been hitting: walking more than average, striking out less than average, and showing legit power. And, he’s done it at the toughest, most offense-starved position.
So why would the Dodgers even consider trading their top prospect? Well, two reasons, really. Their names are Will Smith and Diego Cartaya. Smith is one of the best catchers in baseball, under control for nine more seasons after signing a long-term deal with the team. If he can develop his hit tool just a bit more, Cartaya could also be a potential future franchise catcher. MLB.com talks about Cartaya’s “plus arm strength, in-game planning, leadership skills, and overall makeup. He finished 2024 with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and figures to be ready in 2025.
So, in all likelihood, the catching tandem of Smith and Cartaya is one of the best in baseball over the next half-decade. And, in case you were wondering, they also have rookie catcher Hunter Feduccia on their 40-man, and he has also hit above average since being drafted in 2018.
This August, the Dodgers instructed their Triple-A club to get Rushing reps in the outfield to try to find a place for him, because it won’t be at catcher. However, a catcher that hits is more valuable than a left fielder who hits equally well, and is also much harder to find.
It’s also not clear the Dodgers really need another outfielder, unless they feel like they can significantly upgrade. Their second-best prospect, Josue De Paula, is ready for the high minors, and is more of a prototypical outfielder than Rushing. They also have Mookie Betts locked into right field; rookie Andy Pages, who can play all three outfield spots; and Tommy Edman, who seems best utilized in the grass.
Because of these factors, the Dodgers might be incentivized to explore a trade while Rushing’s value is high. They don’t really have any clear-cut needs, with one of the best rotations in baseball, and several good-to-great position players in Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and (of course) Shohei Ohtani. Without clear holes, they may prefer additional good hitters with some flexibility. Or, they may want to add to an already strong farm system.
Conveniently, the Twins have a number of solid-or-better hitters who are not better fits at catcher. Perhaps the two teams can line up in a mutually beneficial trade. What could that look like? Using Baseball Trade Values (it’s certainly not a perfect tool, but can be instructive to determine approximate value), Rushing is worth around $31 million in surplus value. What options do the Twins have to provide equivalent value without hamstringing the team?
Luke Keaschall is largely ready for the majors, can play several positions, and is worth $23 million in surplus value. Keaschall has a profile similar to those of Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernández, whose age and contract statuses are nudging them toward the exit from a roster to whom they've been crucial over the years. Could he and someone like Andrew Morris or CJ Culpepper, with a lottery ticket thrown in from the Twins, get the job done? Or, would the Dodgers prefer a major leaguer come their way? If so, maybe a move centered on Rushing for Trevor Larnach, Jhoan Durán, or Griffin Jax would be more to their liking.
Either of these options would bolster the Twins without removing any true core players, and make it easier to get out from under Vázquez’s contract. The Twins have a wealth of talent in their system, and using some of it in a challenge trade like this could be a win-win for both teams. Dalton Rushing could become the Twins’ franchise catcher, in a system devoid of high-end catching talent, and the Dodgers could add additional, more usable depth to their system.
What are your thoughts? Would you be thrilled to see a trade for Rushing? Do you believe one of the proposed packages would be fair? Share your comments below!
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