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Even with Will Smith recently cleared to resume baseball activities, the Dodgers appear to be kicking the tires on a major catching upgrade before Monday’s trade deadline. Per Dodger Blue, the Dodgers are potentially exploring a trade for Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. They’re not alone — the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are also reportedly in the mix for catching help.

Rutschman has been one of the best catchers in baseball since arriving in the majors in 2022. The first overall pick in the 2019 draft, he immediately established himself as an elite two-way catcher — strong defensively behind the plate with a switch-hitting bat that gives him lineup versatility most catchers simply can’t offer. He was an All-Star in 2023 and has been a cornerstone of the Orioles’ rebuild-turned-contention window. The fact that Baltimore is apparently willing to entertain offers tells you something about where they see their current trajectory. For Rutschman personally, a move to a perennial contender like the Dodgers would put him in the middle of a World Series race immediately.

Smith, meanwhile, has been dealing with a neck injury that’s kept him sidelined. The positive update on his recovery is encouraging — he’s been cleared to resume baseball activities — but there’s still no firm return timeline. That uncertainty is clearly part of the calculus here. The Dodgers aren’t the type of organization that sits around hoping things work out when they can go get a solution. Smith has been one of our most important players when healthy, a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat from the catcher position, but the Dodgers have seen enough IL stints to know that banking on a return date is risky business in August.

I think this one is fascinating. Adding Rutschman wouldn’t just be a stopgap while Smith is out — it would give the Dodgers arguably the two best catching options in the National League. Rutschman’s switch-hitting ability, his pitch framing, and his game management behind the plate would slot in seamlessly. The price, though, would be steep. Baltimore isn’t going to let a franchise catcher go for spare parts, especially one who’s under team control. We’re talking about a package that would likely rival or exceed what we just sent to Detroit for Tarik Skubal.

The bigger picture: this is a front office that just pulled off a blockbuster for Skubal and is now apparently still shopping. That’s not a team content to coast into October — that’s a team trying to eliminate every possible weakness on the roster. Whether the Orioles ultimately decide to move Rutschman is another question entirely (and this one bears watching closely over the next 24 hours), but the Dodgers being in the conversation at all tells you everything about how Andrew Friedman and company view this October window. With the deadline tomorrow, we’ll know soon enough whether this goes from exploratory to real.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: August 2, 2026 5:00 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers