Dodgers land Ruiz in catcher swap with Phillies

[August 26, 2016]    (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired Carlos Ruiz from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for A.J. Ellis, the teams announced on Thursday.

The Dodgers also received $1 million while the Phillies got one minor league pitcher along with a player to be named later or cash considerations in the deal.
 

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz (51) gets a base hit in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Ellis, 35, is a longtime Dodgers player who is beloved in the clubhouse, but is batting just .194 and played only sporadically.

"Obviously, it was tough decision on a personal level," said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

"We felt like from a baseball standpoint, Carlos fit our team extremely well. I could go on and on about A.J. and his attributes and what he brings to a team. And if Carlos didn't possess similar things, we wouldn't have made the move.” Ruiz, 37, is hitting .261 and brings World Series experience. He helped lead the Phillies to the title in 2008 and was an All Star in 2012.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

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