By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor
While Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard reportedly is drawing some surprise trade interest, the other remaining member from the 2008 World Series team, catcher Carlos Ruiz, doesn't appear to be fairing as well on the trade market.
According to Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball, Ruiz hasn't generated much buzz from potential suitors:
Carlos Ruiz hasn’t drawn much interest so far, but he might be able to help a team as a veteran catcher/leader.
Perhaps once the Brewers trade Jonathan Lucroy a suitor will emerge for Ruiz. That said, it's July 28 and if a team was realistically considering Ruiz as a backup option if they weren't able to land someone like Lucroy, they probably would have been in contact with the Phillies already. The possibility of an August waiver deal still does exist in theory.
Ruiz, 37, is in the final guaranteed season of a three-year contract. He has had a relative bounce-back from hitting just .211 last year, as he's hitting .260 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 38 games. In addition to his leadership, Ruiz could be of interest to a potential contender because he hasn't played that much in 2016 and should be fresh, though it's fair to wonder how much he's capable of playing at this point in his career.
The Phillies do hold a $4.5 million option for Ruiz in 2017 that they are expected to decline. Given the apparent lack of trade interest in him currently, it's entirely possible that Ruiz will finish the 2016 season with the only team he's ever played for and then retire — whether by choice or due to lack of interest — after the season.