Though they were considered a prominent landing spot for J.T. Realmuto, the Los Angeles Dodgers addressed the hole left by Yasmani Grandal’s departure in free agency last year by reuniting with Russell Martin.
He was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of Minor Leaguers in Ronny Brito and Andrew Sopko. Martin was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2002 MLB Draft and spent the first five seasons of his career with the organization (2006-10).
With just one year remaining on the five-year contract he signed with the Blue Jays, the Dodgers envisioned Martin serving as a short-term, stopgap at the catcher position.