With Yasmani Grandal signing with the Milwaukee Brewers in free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers were left with a hole at the starting catching position for the 2019 season.
Top catching prospects Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith are both just a year away from being Major League ready, so president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was just looking for a one-year stopgap at the position.
He recently found that solution on the trade market with the Dodgers acquiring a familiar face in Russell Martin from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for a pair of prospects.