Carlos Ruiz will have a new home in 2017. The Seattle Mariners have acquired the veteran catcher from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night, as first reported by Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball.
Sources: Carlos ruiz being traded to mariners
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 7, 2016
Seattle Mariners Acquire Carlos Ruiz
Ruiz hit .264/.365/.348 in 2016, including a .278 clip in 14 regular season games with the Dodgers. In the 2016 postseason he hit .182 with a homer and four RBIs before the Dodgers fell to the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. He was acquired by the Dodgers in the controversial trade that sent A.J. Ellis to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 37-year-old backstop played 10 years with the Phillies before being traded to the Dodgers. He appeared in two World Series (2008, 2009) and helped the club reach the postseason in five straight seasons from 2007-2011.
His best season came in 2012 in which he was named a National League All-Star and posted career highs in batting average (.325), homers (16), RBIs (68), doubles (32) and slugging percentage (.540).
Ruiz’s contract was set to expire after the 2016 season with a 2017 club option, worth $4.5 million. The fact that Yasmani Grandal is arbitration eligible this offseason and Austin Barnes is waiting in Triple-A, it ultimately didn’t make sense for the Dodgers to keep a catcher like Ruiz (considering factors like price tag and age).
For the Mariners, Mike Zunino (.207/.318/.470) is continuing to struggle against major league pitching and the club declined Chris Iannetta‘s 2017 option. Adding Ruiz will add depth behind the plate and a veteran presence for the other catchers and the pitching staff.
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