Dalton Rushing Is a Perfect Fit for So Many Teams

For the second straight offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in the most enviable position, but that also brings complications: The Dodgers have more legitimate big-league talent than roster spots to give out.

Will Smith just turned in a career year, ranking No. 2 on Just Baseball’s Top 10 Catchers list behind only AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, and he’s locked in long-term. That alone would block most catching prospects. But when the guy behind him is one of the best catching prospects in baseball, the logjam becomes more fascinating.

With multiple teams desperate for catching help, the question becomes unavoidable: Do the Dodgers cash in on their premium trade chip, or keep Dalton Rushing and gamble on fitting him into an already loaded roster?

Will Smith’s Brilliance Complicates the Picture

Smith’s 2025 season was both triumphant and emotionally trying, but from a performance standpoint, his success was undeniable. He hit .296/.404/.497 with a 153 wRC+ across 110 games, and despite playing baseball’s most demanding position, he delivered 4.1 fWAR.

Even with a -8 framing run value, his bat remained a lifeline for a Dodgers offense that was inconsistent and a bit boom or bust throughout the regular season.

He has, however, shown a tendency to wear down late in the year, and he has now gone the distance, catching just about every postseason inning in back-to-back World Series campaigns. 

With Smith ultimately healthy and thriving, and with the team pushing for a three-peat, Rushing may struggle to continue finding consistent time in year two, and a veteran backup catcher would be more appropriate to fill in for Smith during his off-days. Otherwise, the Dodgers risk stunting the young Rushing’s growth.

The bottom line is that Rushing deserves everyday status, and plenty of other teams can give him that right now.

What Rushing Brings to the Table

Before his MLB debut, Rushing was ranked as L.A.’s No. 3 prospect behind Roki Sasaki and Zyhir Hope. He had destroyed Triple-A pitching (.308/.424/.514 with a 15.9% walk rate) and needed no further development with the bat. His Just Baseball scouting report in sum:

• Elite on-base skills with a career chase rate just above 15%.
  
• 25+ homer potential thanks to loft, barrel consistency, and a 92 mph average EV.
  
• Improving defense, throwing out 30% of base stealers in 2024.
  
• Athletic enough to play corner outfield or first base, giving him versatility most catchers simply don’t have.

In the majors, the raw tools showed up even if the stat line didn’t. In 53 games, Rushing struggled to a .582 OPS, with swing-and-miss issues as a part-time player.

But the underlying data – a 90.8 mph avg. EV, a strong barrel rate, elite chase discipline, and above-average pop time and CSAA – suggest the bat will eventually match the pedigree once he’s playing daily. He’s 24, toolsy, fiery, and positionally flexible. His value is nowhere near diminished.

And on a Dodgers team with Freddie Freeman entrenched at first, Smith entrenched at catcher, and a likely new outfielder arriving via trade or free agency, there simply isn’t a lane to regular at-bats.

The Dodgers Are Open to Blockbusters, and Rushing Is the Perfect Centerpiece

The Dodgers aren’t positioned to wait out growing pains. They are fully in three-peat mode, fresh off inking Edwin Díaz to a record deal a year after doing the same for Tanner Scott, and they’ve been connected to names like Tarik Skubal, Corey Seager, Byron Buxton, Steven Kwan and Brendan Donovan in trade talks. A blockbuster is coming; the question is which one.

Logical Fits Around MLB

Tampa Bay Rays
No team needs a catcher more. Rays catchers hit .185 with a .592 OPS in 2025, the worst mark in MLB. Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia are placeholders. The Rays have pieces (Josh Lowe? Chandler Simpson? A Ryan Pepiot reunion?), and Rushing fits their offensive identity perfectly.

Houston Astros
Yainer Diaz fell out of the top 10 catchers after posting a .256/.284/.417 line with subpar receiving metrics. Houston needs stability behind the plate. The question is who the Dodgers would target in a deal from Houston.

Yordan Alvarez has health and defensive concerns and can’t DH in L.A. with Shohei Ohtani. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa are both hated by Dodgers fans. Cam Smith, Hunter Brown and Jeremy Peña represent the core the Astros are trying to build around.

New York Mets
Francisco Alvarez hit .256 with a .787 OPS but might be a defensive liability. If the Mets want to build a possible two-headed catching monster, with Rushing from the left side of the plate and Alvarez from the right, or use one of them at DH/1B after Pete Alonso’s shocking signing with the Baltimore Orioles, Rushing fits.

L.A. could target Luisangel Acuña, Jeff McNeil, David Peterson, or a prospect return.

Philadelphia Phillies
If J.T. Realmuto walks in free agency, the Phillies immediately need a starting catcher. Rushing could also play corner outfield with Nick Castellanos likely moved and Max Kepler gone.

St. Louis Cardinals
The Dodgers covet Brendan Donovan, and Rushing could help get a deal done. Iván Herrera was great in 2025, and Pedro Pages was serviceable, but Rushing gives St. Louis a long-term answer or a high-ceiling bat in the outfield.

Twins, Reds, Guardians
All three have uncertain long-term catching plans. The Guardians could be weighing their belief in Bo Naylor, and they could ship Kwan, whom the Dodgers have been linked to, back to L.A.

The Reds have the inconsistent Tyler Stephenson behind the plate and could be tempted if L.A. dangled Rushing in a blockbuster. 

The Twins have Ryan Jeffers coming off a fine season, but as a rebuilding team, do they believe in him for the next several years? With an All-Star veteran outfielder in Buxton, who fits a Dodgers need, the Twins and Dodgers could work out a blockbuster deal with several Dodger prospects going to Minnesota for Buxton. 

The Bottom Line

Dalton Rushing is too talented to languish in a part-time role with a team chasing a dynasty.

Whether the Dodgers shop him in a mega-deal or send him somewhere he can catch 120 games, he remains one of the most appealing young players on the market. And because he’d fit on so many teams, it’s increasingly hard to imagine the Dodgers not cashing in.