Dodgers News: Insider Links LA to 6 Potential Backup Catchers as Trade Deadline Targets

Austin Barnes' struggles might be too much to put up with anymore.

As the Aug. 1 trade deadline is a week away, the Dodgers have a chance to address some of their key needs as the postseason creeps ever closer.

Among those needs could be depth at the catcher position. While Will Smith has had a career year, earning his first All-Star nod, backup catcher Austin Barnes has struggled at the plate. The 33-year-old holds a .104 batting average, a .309 OPS, 0 home runs, and just 5 runs batted in. Yikes.

Barnes is a strong play caller and was never expected to be an elite hitter for the Dodgers, as The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya notes in his latest column.

But at a certain point, with such low offensive production, having Barnes in the lineup whenever Smith has an off-day might not be ideal.

"Obviously, on the offensive side, it hasn't been good," manager Dave Roberts said of Barnes. "He's working his tail off to get right and worked through some things and is just not getting the results that we'd like. ... When you go out there and you're putting fingers down (as a catcher), you're trying to navigate the pitcher and nothing seems to be working. I think he just reached his breaking point."

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The Athletic

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The "breaking point" Roberts referenced occurred when Barnes showed his frustration after going hitless yet again Sunday.

"Just been a frustrating year, for sure," Barnes said.

(Via

The Athletic

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If the Dodgers were to go shopping for another backup catcher, the Reds' Curt Casali or Luke Maile could be available as well as Boston's Jorge Alfaro or the Mets' Omar Narvaez, according to Ardaya.

Dalton Rushing, one of the Dodgers' top prospects, is playing in High-A and isn't Major League-ready yet, nor is Diego Cartaya who's playing in Double-A. So, if the Dodgers want to try and upgrade to a more reliable backup catcher, they must find one in the trade market.