Ausmus to the Dodgers

Brad Ausmus, long time major league catcher, has been signed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to back up Russell Martin. He is a solid veteran presence behind the plate, which will be good for young pitchers like Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw. Ausmus will probably spell Martin's duties behind the plate on average of once a week.

There is a large drop off in production from Martin to Ausmus, not to mention that Ausmus is 14 years older than Martin. However, Ausmus will not be a complete disaster while batting. There are very few teams with large offensive production from the catcher's spot in the lineup. I would expect the Dodgers' catching tandem to hit around .275 with 15 HR and 80 RBI, which is solid production from a catcher. But as mentioned before, and not to be forgotten, a veteran catcher such as Ausmus will be an excellent tool to help with the young pitchers, who have such high ceilings, pitch in the majors.