Rortvedt could be the Dodgers' most important trade deadline addition

CHICAGO — Tarik Skubal dominated the conversation before and after the Dodgers' 6-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, and understandably so.

It was the Dodgers debut for the reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner, the blockbuster acquisition who instantly made Los Angeles the favorite to win a third consecutive World Series. Every pitch Skubal threw was scrutinized. Every decision Dave Roberts made was viewed through the lens of October.

But the most important player on the field Tuesday might not have been the ace on the mound.

It might have been the catcher behind the plate.

Ben Rortvedt has already played this role once before. The Dodgers know exactly what he brings because they've lived through this story already. They liked the ending enough to bring him back for a sequel.

A year ago, the Dodgers were reeling.

Both of their catchers — Will Smith and Dalton Rushing — were sidelined. They had lost five straight games and seven of eight. At 78-64, they held only the seventh-best record in baseball and were locked in a tight National League West race with a charging San Diego Padres team. They looked vulnerable. They looked exhausted. They looked nothing like the overwhelming favorite everyone expected.

Instead of making a splash, the Dodgers made what seemed like a minor move, acquiring Rortvedt to stabilize the most overlooked position on the field.

It turned out to be one of the smartest moves they made all season.

Rortvedt didn't suddenly become an offensive star. He wasn't acquired to carry the lineup. He hit .224 with one home run and four RBIs in 18 regular-season games after joining Los Angeles. But what he gave the Dodgers couldn't be measured by his batting average.

He gave them confidence.

He gave their pitching staff consistency.

He gave the clubhouse a calming presence at exactly the moment it needed one.

From Sept. 7 through Oct. 9, the Dodgers went 20-6, reclaimed control of their season and advanced to the National League Championship Series where Smith returned as the everyday catcher. Rortvedt even contributed offensively in October, collecting three hits — including a double — with an RBI and two sacrifice bunts  during the Wild Card Series against Cincinnati and the NLDS against Philadelphia.

"I don't think we get out of that Philly series without Ben Rortvedt," Roberts said Tuesday. "I really don't. He came up big for us. It says a lot about him, and I'm just happy we acquired him and we trust him."

That trust showed itself immediately.

Despite Rortvedt spending much of this season in Triple-A before returning to Los Angeles, Roberts had no hesitation handing him the responsibility of catching Skubal in arguably the most anticipated Dodgers debut in years.

"Again, he hasn't been here," Roberts said. "He spent a lot of his time in Triple-A, and for me to trust him coming out and starting a big league game with Tarik Skubal on the mound says a lot about what I think of him."

The parallels to last season are impossible to ignore.

The Dodgers have once again hit a rough patch, losing five straight games and six of their last eight. Once again, their catching depth has been tested. Roberts expects Smith to return later this season, but Dalton Rushing's outlook is far murkier after suffering a slight tear of the UCL in his right elbow. Roberts said Rushing won't throw for several weeks, and there is no timetable for his return.

Suddenly, Rortvedt finds himself back in the exact situation that made him so valuable a year ago.

Skubal certainly appreciated having him behind the plate.

"Yeah, he's great back there," Skubal said. "He called a great game. We were on the same page all night. What he was trying to do feeds right into what I'm trying to do on the mound. I'm always going to trust my catchers. They're really important. But yeah, he was great back there today, for sure."

For all the attention paid to Skubal's arrival, the comfort level between pitcher and catcher may ultimately matter just as much as the velocity on the radar gun.

Roberts believes Rortvedt's familiarity with the organization gives the Dodgers an advantage they didn't have when they acquired him a year ago.

"I think that knowing the coaches, knowing a lot of his teammates, knowing how we think and the system and the game planning, I think that makes it seamless," Roberts said. "He's a veteran player. He's been around a long time. He's 29 years old. He's got enough experience that he's going to handle this moment. We feel good about him."

Then Roberts smiled while describing the personality that has made Rortvedt such a natural fit inside the clubhouse.

"He doesn't take himself too seriously," Roberts said. "He knows who he is as a player and as a catcher. He was a servant, understanding that his No. 1 priority was to serve the pitchers. I think that right there diffuses the clubhouse. And when you can also laugh at yourself, that certainly helps."

When I spoke with Rortvedt after his first start back with the Dodgers since last year's NLDS, he admitted this reunion feels much different than the first.

"Yeah, I'm definitely a lot more comfortable than last year, that's for sure," Rortvedt told me. "It's cool to have some friends here now and to not be intimidated walking into the clubhouse. It helps because I've been there before, but every season is different. You have to win the day, each day. Last year is last year, and we're just trying to get back to where we were."

That's the beauty of this trade.

The Dodgers didn't acquire Rortvedt to sell jerseys or dominate headlines. They already accomplished that by landing Skubal. They brought him back because they know exactly what he can provide during the dog days of August and the pressure of October.

Championship teams aren't built only on blockbuster trades. They're often held together by players willing to embrace thankless roles, steady the room and make everyone around them better.

Skubal may prove to be the trade that wins the Dodgers another World Series.

But don't be surprised if Rortvedt once again becomes the move that makes it all possible.