As the Boston Red Sox climb back into the playoff picture, it would still behoove the team to find a way to both buy and sell before the July 31 trade deadline. Avoiding high-priced rentals is key, while targeting talented MLB-ready prospects who have their pathways to regular playing time blocked by big league stars makes a lot of sense.
One such player who fits that bill is the Los Angeles Dodgers' top prospect and backup catcher Dalton Rushing. After tearing up Triple-A Oklahoma City to the tune of a .308/.424/.514 slash line, Rushing made his big league debut back on May 15. With the versatility to also play first base and in the outfield, the 24-year-old has still only collected 89 plate appearances, finding playing time scarce behind superstars Will Smith and Freddie Freeman at catcher and first base, respectively.
On paper, a move for rushing would solve two of Boston's greatest needs. Carlos Narváez has been a pleasant surprise behind the plate, but in the month of July, he's hit a bit of a wall with a .588 OPS, while Connor Wong has struggled with the bat all year long. The lefty-swinging Rushing could also serve as a solution at first base, even if only in part-time action.
Dalton Rushing's recent comments might make the Red Sox avoid him ahead of the trade deadline
One would imagine that for a prospect with Rushing's pedigree who has nothing left to prove at the minor league level, not getting regular playing time would be frustrating. Despite playing on a winning ball club, it would be understandable if he wanted a more consistent opportunity as he works to establish himself as a big leaguer and potential future star.
However, recent comments Rushing made during an appearance on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast go against that grain. While he claimed he wants to be out there on the field every day, he quickly pivoted and went in an unexpected direction.
"All that stuff is out of my control. At the end of the day, I want the team to want to see me on the field every single day or however many days they need me out there to win as many ballgames as possible," Rushing said. "That’s what the Dodgers are doing right now, and I pray that I can be a Dodger for as long as possible."
You can definitely debate with Rushing on the Dodgers giving him the opportunity to take the field every day, but he seems happy in his role as a part-time player. Not only that, the youngster seems enamored with the Dodgers' organization as a whole.
For the Red Sox, that might be enough to take him off the board. Not only will Los Angeles want a king's ransom for the top prospect, but in his part-time duties, Rushing hasn't been great, posting a .545 OPS and running a 40.4% strikeout rate.
At the end of the day, the Sox might have more at-bats available for Rushing than the Dodgers currently do, but he still likely wouldn't play every day in Boston either. The price tag then would be way to exorbitant for a part-time player, and Rushing seemingly would only be happy leaving LA for a full-time role elsewhere.
Backup catcher is certainly a need, but the Red Sox would be wise to conserve assets and investigate other, cheaper solutions as the race to the trade deadline continues.