Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported that teams would like Dodgers catcher Will Smith in exchange via a trade. We can only speculate that the two teams are the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians since it’s been confirmed that the Dodgers are looking into trades for either Mookie Betts or Francisco Lindor. Acquiring a Major League ready catcher would make sense for both teams since they currently are thin in that position. While some may be resistant to the thought of trading Will Smith for a potential rental, Dodgers fans shouldn’t worry because C Keibert Ruiz is MLB’s 33rd ranked overall prospect and will likely start the season in AAA. Ruiz hit .316 in AAA last season before being shut down with a thumb injury. On the other hand, Smith caught fire early on, but he hit .175 in the month of September, while managing to finish the regular season with a respectable .253 batting average. Smith demonstrated his capabilities, so it makes sense why teams have shown interest.
“Potential trade partners also covet Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who impressed as a rookie in 2019, hitting 15 homers with 42 RBI in 54 games.”
If the Dodgers were to deal Smith, they would likely start the season with Austin Barnes as their every day catcher, who is lacks upside on offense but has great chemistry with many of the Dodgers pitchers. Friedman hasn’t classified Smith as an untouchable piece, so we will see if his name comes up again.
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Photo Credit: Amanda Bowden/Los Angeles Dodgers