"Ruiz and the club agreed to an extension in 2023, a deal which runs through 2030 and has club options for 2031 and 2032. But since the start of 2024, he has poor defensive numbers and a .235/.266/.345 batting line. FanGraphs has considered him to be 1.3 wins below replacement level in that span."
"Paul Toboni was hired to replace Rizzo. One of the first significant moves of his tenure was to trade reliever Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners, with Ford being the headliner of the return. Ford is one of the top catching prospects in the league. Seattle drafted him 12th overall in 2021 and signed him to a bonus of $4.4MM."
"Ford's major league track record consists of just eight games so far. He got into 97 Triple-A games last year and put up a .283/.408/.460 line. Even in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League, that was 25% better than league average, by measure of wRC+."
The Washington Nationals have optioned their catcher to Triple-A Rochester and reassigned Riley Adams to minor league camp, establishing Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas as the primary catching duo. Ruiz, acquired from the Dodgers in the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner trade and extended through 2030, has struggled since 2024 with poor defensive metrics and a .235/.266/.345 batting line. New baseball operations president Paul Toboni acquired prospect Jasson Ford from the Mariners in a trade, viewing him as the franchise's long-term catching solution. Ford, drafted 12th overall in 2021, posted a .283/.408/.460 line in Triple-A last season and has improved defensively, though he remains only 23 with minimal major league experience.
#nationals-catching-depth #keibert-ruiz-performance #jasson-ford-prospect #roster-moves #long-term-planning
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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