I really hope they did consult with a couple of guys in the clubhouse before doing this, but this FO is also constructed of guys who may not believe in such things.
I guess you weren't one of the multitude that hated AJ and ridiculed him at every possible opportunity on here. Lotta hate his wayon here...should be overjoyed, actually. Loyalties/ likes aside, it looks on paper, like an astute move. Grandal can't play every day...looks tired to me lately and can fuck up D with the best in the west. AJ offered practically nothing more than a backstop in their opinion, so for them, they get a guy who can hit a little. I'll bet you he's happy...used to kill us!
http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2016/08/25/dodgers-trade-a-j-ellis-to-the-phillies-for-carlos-ruiz/ Dodgers trade A.J. Ellis to the Phillies for Carlos Ruiz By Bill BaerAug 25, 2016, 5:24 PM EDT MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that the Dodgers have acquired catcher Carlos Ruiz and cash from the Phillies in exchange for catcher A.J. Ellis, minor league pitcher Tommy Bergjans, and a player to be named later. It was reported on Wednesday that Ruiz and first baseman Ryan Howard both cleared waivers and that Ruiz was drawing interest from a couple of teams. Ruiz, 37, has served as the backup catcher behind Cameron Rupp. Over 193 plate appearances, he hit .261/.368/.352. He continued to play solid defense and has always had a reputation for handling his pitchers very well. In fact, in a commercial for the video game MLB 2k11, former Phillie Roy Halladay essentially professed his love for Ruiz: Ellis, 35, is a free agent after the season while Ruiz has a club option for the 2017 season worth $4.5 million. It seems likely that the Dodgers pick up that option and make Ruiz Grandal’s backup next year. Ellis hit a lousy .194/.285/.252 in 161 plate appearances, but the Phillies aren’t particularly concerned with his production since they’re still facilitating their rebuilding process. Bergjans, 23, has spent the season with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. He’s posted a 4.98 ERA with a 133/29 K/BB ratio in 130 innings spanning 21 starts and three relief appearances. He went to school in Haverford, PA so the Phillies are bringing in a local guy.
Will not miss AJ whatsoever. I wish him nothing but the best, hope he coaches for us someday, but he's a liability.
Oh I was not happy to see him start anymore as I knew his days were done. AJ the guy though is awesome and I would love to see him back in the organization. I hated him behind the plate and his bat was nothing anymore. I figured he would be off the postseason roster and Barnes would get the Grandal off day starts down the stretch. Just shocked that they traded him.
I really like AJ and as I said before, and extremely relatable player. Seemed well liked and what not, but he just wasn't a major league quality player anymore. At all. Maybe it hurts the clubhouse a lot but I wanna say that the front office thought about that and took that into account in doing this. I think they've shown they really do care about clubhouse culture and won't do moves with disregarding it. Kershaw is Kershaw and he was Kershaw before AJ came along and I'm hoping that yeah, he's gonna be sad about this but holding a grudge would seem weird cause AJ wasn't gonna be here forever and probably not as soon as in 2017
A " tough one behind the scenes"... "AJ has never tooted his own horn relating to CKs excellence"... Very interesting
Experience and rapport is not a liability IMHO. AJ is VERY well liked in the dugout as well. Players involved must be in shock as am I.
Have subtracted malcontents Kemp, Hanley, and Puig, so I imagine the FO has a good sense of how the clubhouse feels here. Ditched Uribe, everybody's favorite clubhouse guy..I'm actually impressed with the number crunching crew's feel for what the clubhouse can and won't take. Probably overblown anyway, though, I mean no matter how much a guy's liked there has to be at least 1 section of the clubhouse wondering how AJ could get so much favor while sucking consistently. Shrewd moves going on and I love the shit.
They could still use him as a UTL back up, but I was just thinking that this also gives them the opportunity to use Barnes in a deal as he is apparently pretty sought after. Dodgers have Will Smith and Farmer knocking on the door over the next couple of years, so this may be a move for also down the road.
Yeah, it is kinda sad. Didn't think he had much more to give as a player, but thought management would at least wait till the season was over.