On August 25th, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded longtime backstop AJ Ellis and right handed pitching prospect Tommy Bergjans for longtime Phillies backstop Carlos Ruiz.
The universal reaction to this deal has been one of confusion. Why would the Dodgers trade for a marginal upgrade at backup catcher and risk ruining clubhouse chemistry while giving up Aj Ellis, Clayton Kershaw’s personal backstop?
As Kershaw said in an interview after the deal:
"“He(Ellis) really brought that presence that not a lot of people have, where you can just get along with everybody. And really help everybody’s careers. That’s something that’s not easily replaced.”"
Though the effects most likely hit Kershaw the hardest, the effect of Ellis’ departure was felt throughout the locker room. Many teammates wished Ellis the best while mentioning him being one of the better teammates they have ever had after the trade was completed.
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There is no doubt that teammates will miss Ellis in the locker room, but whether or not he will be missed on the field remains to be seen.
Ruiz had a tough first game with the Dodgers as he allowed two wild pitches (that could have easily been ruled passed balls) while Kenley Jansen was pitching against the Cubs up one run in the ninth inning. The wild pitches allowed the tying run to come in and the Cubs ended up winning 6-4 after a two run homer from Kris Bryant in the tenth.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | |
| Cubs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Aaron Judge | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
While the Dodgers loss cannot be completely blamed on Ruiz, he sure had a hand in blowing the lead. It cannot be said for certain, but it is highly doubtful AJ Ellis would have allowed two wild pitches in the ninth that game. In the 14 innings Jansen pitched to Ellis this season he only gave up three hits and zero runs.
Ruiz is most likely hoping his first game miscues were just due to new team jitters. He has been with the Phillies organization since 1998 so a new team must have been very strange for him.
Loss of Ellis is not all it’s made out to be
The argument that the biggest loss was losing Kershaw’s pitcher is rather insignificant. If Ruiz isn’t catching him that would mean Yasmani Grandal would be. While this year’s split stats point to Ellis being the better catcher for Kershaw, last year was a different story.
In 143 ⅔ innings with AJ Ellis in 2015, Kershaw pitched to a 2.44 ERA and 6.55 K/BB ratio. All Star numbers. In 89 innings with Yasmani Grandal in 2015, Kershaw pitched to a 1.62 ERA and 8.54 K/BB ratio. Hall of Fame numbers. People can talk about the bromance between Ellis and Kershaw all the want, the point is he will be an elite pitcher regardless of who is catching him. Plus, none of this even matters if Kershaw is unable to get back on the field this year.
Since Ellis is not a great hitter, he is known for his strong fielding. When looking at the numbers it is seen that both Grandal and Ruiz are solid fielders too. While Ellis has thrown out a solid 28% of base stealers this year, Grandal has done an even better 29%. All while Carlos Ruiz has thrown out 40%. Pitch framing stats aren’t too kind on Ellis either. Baseball Prospectus gives him a 0.4 rating for pitch framing, while Grandal has gotten a 24.5 rating.
If we look at a hypothetical situation where Kershaw is pitching in the playoffs, Grandal, not Ellis, would now most likely be in the lineup. Getting Grandal’s bat is a huge upgrade over Ellis, especially in a playoff game where every at bat matters. Grandal’s .822 OPS towers over that of Ellis and his .537 OPS, while Ruiz checks in with a solid .725 OPS.
While Ellis has been very good in his playoff experience, Ruiz has been good too, in a much larger sample size. Along with Chase Utley and Joe Blanton, Ruiz provides World Series winning experience to a Dodgers team that has failed to advance in the playoffs in recent years.
Tommy Bergjans was the other piece going to the Phillies in the deal and he should not be ignored. A 2015 eighth round pick, Bergjans is a young right hander who has put up strong peripherals thus far in his first year in the minors. He throws a solid fastball, as well as a decent curveball and changeup. While his ERA has been at 4.98 in his last 21 starts, he has fanned 133 batters while only walking 29. While far from a top prospect, the Phillies did well to turn an aging upcoming free agent like Ruiz into a high-upside pitcher who has proven he has strong command of the strike zone.
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Overall, the Dodgers were able to acquire a much better catcher to back up Yasmani Grandal for the stretch run to the playoffs. Ruiz will provide a solid bench bat against left handed pitching (.856 OPS against LHP) and much better insurance should Grandal fall out of the lineup for any reason. Though the team took his departure hard, baseball is about on-field production and Ruiz should only improve that for the Dodgers.