Los Angeles Dodgers need to address the catcher position

All in all, the Los Angeles Dodgers season has been very promising early on out. However, that does not mean everything is perfect for the Boys in Blue.

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the season stacked from top-to-bottom in the lineup. Offensively, the Dodgers are a force to be reckoned with. However, there is a glaring hole and that is at catcher.

J.T. Realmuto was available via trade from the Miami Marlins. Realmuto ended up getting traded to Philadelphia, where he is currently hitting .275 with four home runs and 25 RBIs, all while playing solid defensively.

The Dodgers were linked to Realmuto for much of the offseason once Yasmani Grandal signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Granted, it would have cost the Dodgers some of their top-tier prospects including one of the top prospects in all of baseball in Keibert Ruiz and possibly Alex Verdugo, who has been a major bright spot for the Dodgers this year. Ultimately, I think the Dodgers and Andrew Friedman did the right thing by passing on Realmuto.

The Dodgers ended up bringing back veteran catcher Russell Martin. Martin has been a solid player throughout his career but he is more of a backup in this stage of his career. He is currently hitting .256 and has been hurt for a major portion of the season.

I believe the Dodgers were hoping that Austin Barnes would take that next step and be the “guy.” He is also hitting just .212 and has not been able to get it going with the bat. Barnes has shown flashes of potential over parts of the last couple of years.

He is a versatile player to have on the team because he could also step in at second base if needed. However, Barnes is more of a backup and a nice piece to have on the bench.

Rocky Gale is another internal catching option who has played in a handful of games this season while Martin has been hurt. He too is more of a spot starter and backup.

It would be beneficial for the Dodgers to have a starting caliber catcher in the lineup every day. On the flip side, some would say that the rest of the lineup could hide the deficiencies of the catching position in the lineup. While that is true, if your the Dodgers, why not have another solid hitter in that position?

The Dodgers have a few options to explore in the next couple of months. Look for Will Smith to get a crack at the Major Leagues soon. Smith is having a solid year at the plate for the Oklahoma City Dodgers and looks ready to contribute.

Smith is hitting .274 with six home runs and 24 RBIs. That is more offensive production than the Dodgers are currently receiving at the position.

According to MLB Pipeline, he is the number nine catching prospect in all of baseball. As mentioned previously, the Dodgers also have the number two catching prospect in all of baseball in Keibert Ruiz.

Ruiz looks like he is still at least a year or so away from the big club. Smith seems to be the next internal option for the Dodgers this year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers could explore the trade market. You don’t see too many catchers getting moved mid-season though. We are still a few months away from the trade deadline as well so potential names might surface as teams start to drop out of division races.

If I were the Dodgers, I would call up Will Smith and see what he can do. The Dodgers do have a luxury in that their lineup is good so it is not as much a pressing need as it is making the lineup deeper.

It remains to be seen how the Los Angeles Dodgers will address the catching position.