Dodgers reportedly willing to trade former Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

It appears former Philadelphia Phillies Carlos Ruiz's tenure in Los Angeles may be a rather short one. 

After acquiring Ruiz in late August, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Dodgers are reportedly willing to trade Ruiz:

Some players with club options available in trade, per sources: #Dodgers’ Ruiz ($4.5M); #Astros’ Neshek ($6.5M); #Marlins’ Rodney ($4.5M).

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 31, 2016

Ruiz, who will turn 38 in January, has a $4.5 million club option for 2017, as Rosenthal noted, which Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball says is a low enough price for teams to be interested in trading for the former World Series champion: 

A few teams are showing interest in Carlos Ruiz. The Dodgers could be ready to give the backup job to Austin Barnes, but they could still pick up Ruiz’s $4.5 million option, and think about trading him. Ruiz is popular as he’s great in the clubhouse, a good game caller and can still swing the bat.

Though the Phillies reportedly may be interested in acquiring a veteran catcher this off-season, the team isn't going to show interest in reacquiring Ruiz. The book has been closed on the 2008 core, so if the Phillies enter the 2017 season with a veteran catcher it's more likely to be A.J. Ellis or a potential veteran free-agent like Alex Avila.

After batting just .211 in 2015, Ruiz had a strong bounce-back season in 2016, albeit in a reduced role. In 62 games between the Phillies and Dodgers, Ruiz hit .264 with three home runs and 15 RBIs. He also improved from a 3.1 dWAR in 2015 to an 8.1 dWAR in 2016, a sign that a reduced role in 2016 allowed him to regain his best trait.