I have certainly followed the careers of Will Smith and Dalton Rushing, beginning with their time in college at Louisville. So, I decided to dig in and do a comparison of Dalton Rushing and Will Smith. Of course, they both went to college at Louisville, so let’s look at that:
Will Smith at Louisville – 503 PA 9 HR 50 K 48 BB .292 BA .392 OB% .810 OPS
Dalton Rushing at Louisville – 405 PA 28 HR 89 K 62 BB .298 BA .442 OB% 1.072 OPS
Conclusion: At the College Level, Will Smith was OK. Dalton Rushing was a Beast!
Minor Leagues
Will Smith @ Rancho, GL, Tulsa, and OKC – 1228 PA 55 HR 149 BB 283 K .243 BA .351 OB% .810 OPS
Dalton Rushing @ The Same Teams – 1166 PA 54 HR 184 BB 250 K .278 BA .413 OB% 1.072 OPS
Conclusion: Dalton Rushing was dramatically better in the minor leagues with about the same number of at-bats.
Dalton will be 25 years old next year. Will Smith will be 31 years old next year. Both are excellent defensive catchers. While Will had a better first season in the majors at the same age as Dalton, he also had more consistent at-bats. I see no reason why Dalton Rushing cannot be the offensive equal of Will Smith. The Dodgers have to get Dalton more at-bats. Ohtani, Muncy, Teoscar, Freddie, and Will are getting older and will require more days off. Dalton Rushing can catch 30-40 games a year, play 1B another dozen games, and do the same in LF and DH. If I had to guess, I think the Dodgers may change Dalton’s position to LF. We shall see, and that all depends upon whether they can trade Teoscar.
I am all in on trading Teoscar and Emmet Sheehan to Boston for Duran and playing him in CF and Pages in RF. I have always felt that Will Smith may learn a second position, whether that be 1B, 3B, 2B, or LF. Lest we forget what an offensive force Dalton Rushing is, watch this:
I wouldn’t trade Sheehan straight up for Duran
I agree! The way our pitchers hit the IL on a regular basis, I wouldn’t trade any front line pitcher. Sign Suarez, and a short term deal on a left handed outfielder or trade for one without giving any quality pitcher and be done with it. Our big weakness last year was the bullpen. NO Yates this year and Scott hopefully is much better. Knack, Banda and Miller can be in a package for a second tier outfielder. OF Tibbs who we acquired in the Dustin May trade will be starting at Oklahoma City and might be ready for a mid season promotion. Other prime prospect outfielders are also progressing through the system. Also let Rushing have some playing time in LF if we are unable to acquire an outfielder. The goal is to have the best lineup ready for October tournament baseball, not the regular season. There is also the trade deadline to achieve this goal.
Can Rushing be any worst than Michael Conforto was in left field last year. He definitely has the better bat.
“Conforto’s defensive metrics indicate a below-average performance in left field during the 2025 season. His DWAR of -0.9 suggests that his defense was nearly one full win below a replacement-level player. His fielding percentage of .980 was also below the top-ranked left fielders in the league for 2025. Due to his overall underwhelming performance in 2025, Conforto was left off the Dodgers’ postseason roster”.
“In the 2025 MLB regular season, Alex Call recorded a 0.4 rWAR (replacement-level Wins Above Replacement) and a 0.1 fWAR (FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement) with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His fielding performance was considered above average in some aspects, particularly range.
A specific statistic mentioned is that metrics expected him to catch 86% of batted balls in his direction, but he brought in 87%, indicating superior range and instincts”.
So, you want to live with Teoscar in RF.
He will be a year old and better… right?
LF or nothing at all.
I’m startibg to think we move him.
We wang to get younger and have the following tiers of talent:
Prime performers: Ohtani/Smith
HOF untouchables: Betts/Freeman
Veterans: Muncy/Teo
Versatility: Edman
Youth: Pages
Could use one more in that youth category, either through internal options or trade.
Leaving Teo in RF is a dope fiend move…..and stupid too. I like Teo, he should be dhing on another team though.
Agree that a lot of Dodger future plans depend on Rushing’s improvement. A lefty/righty catching duo would be great as would Smith getting some work at third against lefties. Same platoon at third with max. Smith certainly has the arm for third. This would be a good year to test it but getting Will to give up some of his catching duties might be edgy.
i would hate to, but one for one? Absolutely!! the dodgers have pitching. they need a young, fast, reliable outfielder. Duran fits that description. Gotta give up something to get something, especially with the red sox. After all, they are still pissed about the Mookie trade up there! Duran fits what they want. under control for 2 years. Then roll right into the youngsters. Bellinger would be great, but it’s probably going to take 5-6 years to sign him. That could be a big blunder, or it might be a good move. 2 years of Duran is just perfect. I might be wrong, but i still prefer Stone over Emmit. Love Gavins mound presence. “Stone Cold” eyes!
2 years of Duran is just perfect!
Exactly!
Actually three
The Veteran’s Committee will announce it’s 2026 HOF selection tomorrow night on the MLB network around 7PM. Two deserving candidates on the eight man ballot, I’m pulling for are ex Dodgers Fernando and Don Mattingly. The committee is made up of a total 16 writers and ex players. To be selected you need 12 of the 16 votes or 75% of the vote.
i would add Dale Murphy to that list. No way to bonds and clemens!! if they get in may as well scrap the whole thing! But if they admit to cheating and get an asterisk on their plaque, then maybe. And no ceremony in cooperstown either. Just me.
People that live in glass houses,….,.
I think Sheffield, Bonds, and Clemens should be in the HOF.
Bug Selig is in the HOF and was Commish when everyone knew about steroids and looked the other way.
Writers talked about it in the pressbox but never wrote about it.
It happened. We can ignore it, but it’s part of the game.
I would like to see Shoeless Joe and Charley Hustle inducted!
Duran would be a great addition, but I see Bellinger as a more viable option. At 30 years old, Bellinger is only 1 year older than Duran. Is a superior offensive player and could eventually take over 1base once Freeman retires, or simply moves to a corner OF position if/when the system produces a CFer. The only thing the Dodgers have to do in Bellinger’s case is pay the man. With Duran, the Dodgers would give up assets that are going to be needed; I.e. Sheehan when any of the starters hit the IL. In the case of Glasnow and Snell the odds are high that some stints in the IL are to be expected.
In terms of Rushing, there should be plenty of opportunities to find ABs for his projectable bat. Smith, Freeman, Muncy, Teo and even Shohei are going to need days off. With Shohei taking on a greater pitching burden this season, he’s going to benefit from taking a breather from time to time.
My guess is that Rushing is going to play a key role in taking on ABs when aging veteran players take a knee. In what capacity will Dalton sub for these players? Not certain, but I’ll go on a limb and project he will be subbing for Will Smith 😉
Bellinger wants a long term contract. I don’t think the Dodgers are interested in pursuing that obligation. A shorter deal with a higher player salary with a player opt. out, maybe.
Remember BORASS represents him.
How many years is he seeking?
The Dodgers need to weigh who’s playing 1base in a couple of seasons. Freeman becomes a free agent after the 27’ season.
I’d consider a long term deal for Bellinger as long as it’s not something egregious.
If Bellinger was strictly an OFer, it would be a hard no for me on a longer term deal. His ability to play 1base provides value over a longer term deal.
We better not trade Rushing for a reliever like Seattle just did.
Bellinger not leaving the East Coast is what I’ve read
Olney:
Execs report a ton of trade talk going on right now, with some front office types saying teams are more open, more willing than in recent years to discuss a range of players. There is a perception in a couple of front offices that the Nats’ Mackenzie Gore will definitely be among those moved in the days ahead.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and Joel Sherman of The New York Post were the first to mention the Mets’ interest in King. Sherman also reported that the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and others are in on King as well. Per Feinsand, the Yankees, Cubs, Orioles, Angels, Padres and Marlins are also in the mix
Pete Abraham previews the Red Sox at the Winter Meetings. ($$$$$)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/06/sports/sunday-baseball-notes-winter-meetings/
in regards to Duran Duran, he writes that the Red Sox are looking for compensation, as if you were an All-Star, not a very good outfielder. Mentions Royals Marlins and Dodgers.