Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the club has acquired catcher Carlos Ruiz from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for left-handed pitcher Vidal Nuño. The Mariners have also exercised Ruiz's club option for the 2017 season.
"First and foremost, Carlos brings us a veteran presence with outstanding leadership qualities and a winning pedigree," Dipoto said. "His combination of strong on-base skills, situational awareness and game-calling ability are a welcome addition to the Mariners."
With today's transaction, the Mariners Major League 40-man roster remains at 36 players.
Ruiz, 37 (turns 38 on January 22), hit .264 (53x201) with 21 runs, 8 doubles, 3 home runs, 15 RBI and a .365 on-base percentage in 62 games with the Phillies and Dodgers in 2016. His .365 on-base percentage this season ranked 4th-best among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances. Ruiz led National League catchers this season (min. 50 games) in caught stealing percentage with a mark of 41.7% (15x36).
Ruiz began the 2016 season with Philadelphia, where he hit .261 (43x165) with 18 runs, 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 12 RBI in 48 games. He was traded to Los Angeles-NL on Aug. 25 in exchange for C A.J. Ellis, RHP Tommy Bergjans and OF Joey Curletta. In 14 games with the Dodgers, he hit .278 (10x36) with 2 doubles and 3 RBI.
A veteran of 11 Major League seasons with Philadelphia (2006-16) and Los Angeles-NL (2016), Ruiz is a career .266 (908x3414) hitter with 215 doubles, 68 home runs and 404 RBI in 1083 career games. Among catchers (career primary position) with at least 1,000 career games behind the plate, Ruiz's .352 career on-base percentage ranks 6th-best all-time. He ranks T4th among active catchers in catcher caught stealing with 161.
In 2012 with Philadelphia, he was named to the National League All-Star Team and finished the season batting .325 (121x372) with 56 runs, 32 doubles, 16 home runs and 68 RBI in 114 games, setting career-highs in several offensive categories. Ruiz is one of 2 catchers in Major League history to catch 4 separate no-hitters (also: Jason Varitek). A native of David, Chiriqui, Panama, Ruiz would become the 2nd Panamanian-born player to appear with the Mariners, joining Roberto Kelly. Ruiz originally signed with Philadelphia as a non-drafted international free agent on Dec. 4, 1998 and made his pro debut with the DSL Phillies in 1999.
Nuño, 29, went 1-1 with a 3.53 ERA (23 ER, 58.2 IP) in a career-high 55 appearances with the Mariners in 2016. Nuño was acquired by the Mariners along with infielder/outfielder Mark Trumbo from Arizona in exchange for catcher Welington Castillo, right-handed pitcher Dominic Leone and minor leaguers Gabby Guerrero and Jack Reinheimer on June 3, 2015. In parts of 2 seasons with the Mariners, Nuño went 2-5 with a 3.85 ERA (57 ER, 133.1 IP) in 87 games, 11 starts.
Nuño has appeared in parts of four Major League seasons with the New York Yankees (2013-14), Diamondbacks (2014-15) and Mariners (2015-16), going a combined for a 5-20 record with a 4.02 ERA in 126 games, 42 starts. The National City, Calif., native was originally selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 48th round of the 2009 June Draft.