Via Jim Salisbury: The Yankees have “kicked around” the idea of pursuing Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz in a trade. He doesn’t say if the two sides have discussed anything, however. For what it’s worth, Phillies CEO David Montgomery indicated to Ken Rosenthal that the team is hesitant to sell at the moment. They did take the plunge and deal both Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence at the deadline last year, remember.
Ruiz, 34, is hitting .273/.310/.299 (68) in only 84 plate appearances this year, down considerably from his career-best 151 wRC+ a year ago. He’s missed a bunch of time with a hamstring injury and a 25-game amphetamine-related suspension. Chooch has always been regarded as a strong defender and a good clubhouse guy, plus he’s owed only ~$2.5M for the rest of this season before becoming a free agent. Even before his huge year in 2012, Ruiz produced a 113 wRC+ from 2009-2011. Adding even a league-average hitting catcher to the lineup would be a huge, huge upgrade for the Yankees. This is a rumor that I hope has some legs.
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