His stay was brief, but memorable, and now catcher Carlos Ruiz is headed to the Pacific Northwest as he was traded to the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher played the final 62 games with the team including the playoffs after he was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies at the non-waiver trade deadline in August.
Ruiz memorably hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run in Game 3 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium, and was behind the plate to catch Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 in Washington D.C. as the three-time Cy Young Award winner recorded his first save in the decisive game that sent the Dodgers on to the NLCS.
Ruiz was an All-Star in 2012, but will be 38 years old heading into next season. In order to join the Mariners, Ruiz had to waive his no-trade clause in order for the trade to go through.
"First and foremost, Carlos brings us a veteran presence with outstanding leadership qualities and a winning pedigree," said Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto in a statement on Monday. "His combination of strong on-base skills, situational awareness and game-calling ability are a welcome addition to the Mariners."
Ruiz will form a platoon behind the plate with Mariners catchers Mike Zunino and Jesus Sucre, whereas the Dodgers currently only have one catcher on their 25-man roster in Yasmani Grandal.
The Dodgers front office has always wanted to promote Triple-A catcher Austin Barnes to be the club's full-time backup catcher and it is likely that the Ruiz trade will give Barnes that opportunity in the 2016 season.
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As compensation, the Dodgers received left-handed reliever Vidal Nuño from the Mariners and Seattle will pick up all of the $4.5 million remaining on Ruiz's contract for the 2017 season.
Nuño, 29, appeared in 55 games last season with Seattle and was 1-1 with a 3.53 ERA. He is a native of National City, CA and has a career mark of 5-20 with a 4.02 ERA.
In four Major League seasons with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Mariners, Nuño was used as both a starter and reliever.
