2. There are much cheaper alternatives available
Sure, J.T. Realmuto is arguably the best offensive catcher in the game and would be an added piece to this lineup. However, his defense is not great and the gap between him and the rest of his peers behind the plate is not as big of a gap as say,Mike Troutand the common outfielder.
Plus, the Dodgers already have a loaded lineup, the team does not reallyneedanother stellar bat like Realmuto’s. Would the Dodgers be better with him in the lineup? Absolutely. But it is not worth the massive asking price when the difference between Realmuto and other options is not vastly huge.
One potential alternative isFrancisco Cervellifrom the Pittsburgh Pirates. Cervelli has shown that he can be one of the best hitting catchers in the game and hits southpaws pretty well. Cervelli is a career .293 hitter against left-handed pitching and at the very least could be a good platoon option alongsideAustin Barnes.
Cervelli is on an expiring contract so his asking price will not be huge and the Dodgers could realistically get this deal done for one decent mid-tier prospect, someone like anEdwin RiosorConnor Wong.
Jacob Rudner of Dodgers Wayeven made the case forYan Gomesfrom the Cleveland Indians. With club options in both 2020 and 2021, this would allow the Dodgers to decide when to finally giveKeibert Ruizthe call to the majors.
Add us as a preferred source onGoogleLoading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations