The Los Angeles Dodgers were absolutely scrambling for catchers at the MLB trade deadline, right? With Will Smith and Dalton Rushing both stuck on the IL, they snagged Hunter Feduccia from the Rays and Ben Rortvedt from the Mets. But get this, those guys might not have been the Dodgers’ top picks, not even close. FanSided’s Pat Ragazzo dropped the news that the Dodgers were actually eyeing two New York Yankees backstops hard before making those moves. Seriously, can you believe they missed out on their real targets?
The Catchers the Dodgers Really Wanted, and Why They Couldn’t Get Them
Ragazzo’s sources spilled the tea: the Dodgers had a serious interest in both J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez from the Yankees. Think about that for a second. Instead of Feduccia and Rortvedt, L.A. was gunning for a different pair entirely. Sanchez is Austin Wells’ current backup in the Majors, and while his bat isn’t exactly setting the world on fire, he brings some rock-solid defense behind the plate. Then there’s Escarra, who’s been tearing it up in Triple-A for most of the season, mashing 10 home runs with an impressive .882 OPS. Those numbers scream “potential,” right? You gotta wonder what kind of difference they could have made in Dodger blue, even for a short stretch.
Austin Wells’ Struggles Bleed Into the Trade Market
So why didn’t the Dodgers get their guys? Because the Yankees were playing hardball, and it all circles back to Austin Wells. The Bombers were super hesitant to move either Escarra or Sanchez, and for good reason: their own catching situation was thin, and Wells? Man, Wells is having a historically bad offensive campaign this year. We’re talking a brutal .190 batting average, a .280 on-base, and a .317 slugging percentage, adding up to a meager .597 OPS. He’s only got 10 home runs and 28 RBI in 105 games. That kind of slump puts a huge amount of pressure on your depth, and the Yankees just couldn’t afford to let go of their capable backups, even if the Dodgers were calling. It just shows how one guy’s struggles can mess with the whole league’s trade plans.
Ultimately, this was probably a short-term play for the Dodgers anyway. Both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing have since returned from their injuries, which is a relief for L.A. And in a wild twist of fate, Ben Rortvedt, one of the catchers the Dodgers *did* acquire, was designated for assignment just earlier this week. It just goes to show how quickly things shift in baseball, and how much depth matters when your main guys go down. What a whirlwind!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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