6:04pm: L.A. has officially announced the deal. The Dodgers are sending $250K in international bonus pool money to Tampa Bay.

5:05pm: The Rays are trading backup catcher Hunter Feduccia back to the Dodgers, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN. Tampa Bay squeezed him off the roster by acquiring Liam Hicks from Miami this afternoon. Minor league outfielder Jack Suwinski goes back to Tampa Bay, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. The Rays also send minor league pitcher Jacob Kmatz in the deal, while the Dodgers are including international bonus money, Castillo adds.

The 29-year-old Feduccia has spent the majority of his pro career with Los Angeles. He was drafted by the team in 2018. The backstop reached the majors for the first time in 2024. Feduccia played in just seven games across parts of two years with the Dodgers. They sent him to the Rays at last year’s deadline for right-hander Paul Gervase, lefty Adam Serwinowski, and catcher Ben Rortvedt. After bouncing to multiple teams this year. Rortvedt also found his way back to L.A. today.

Feduccia’s time in Tampa Bay this year marked his longest look in the big leagues. He posted a .646 OPS across 60 games as a part-time option alongside Nick Fortes. Feduccia hit the first two home runs in the majors during his time with the Rays.

Tampa Bay leaned on Feduccia almost exclusively against right-handed pitching. He had just 23 plate appearances against lefties. The lefty-swinging Feduccia struggled mightily against same-handed pitching, though he made more contact. He struck out nearly 30% of the time against righties, compared to 17.4% in the small sample versus southpaws.

The Dodgers are now without both starting catchers after Dalton Rushing hit the injured list due to right elbow inflammation. Will Smith has been sidelined since early June with a neck injury. It’s unclear when he’ll be ready to rejoin the team. L.A. has used journeyman Chuckie Robinson behind the plate, along with youngster Eliezer Alfonzo. Robinson returned to the big-league club today with Rushing departing the roster. The Dodgers could turn to Rortvedt and Feduccia as a righty/lefty tandem once they arrive at their new (old) team.

Suwinski had his moments with the Pirates, including a 26-homer campaign in 2023. He’d been limited to part-time work the past two seasons as his strikeout rate made him difficult to keep in the lineup. He was bumped off Pittsburgh’s roster in the spring and found his way to Los Angeles via waiver claim. Suwinski posted a healthy 134 wRC+ in 93 games at Triple-A this year. He’s kept his strikeout rate to a reasonable 22.1%.

Kmatz was a fifth-rounder in the 2024 draft. He comes with some prospect pedigree. MLB Pipeline ranked him 27th in Tampa Bay’s system. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had him up at 16th in his midseason update. The site gave Kmatz’s fastball and slider a 60 grade, while his curveball received a 70 grade. The intriguing three-pitch arsenal generated a 35.7% strikeout rate across two minor league levels this year. Kmatz posted a 2.89 ERA with eight saves in 33 games between High-A and Double-A.