Why the Dodgers should bring catcher A.J. Ellis back

A.J. Ellis hit .191 last season, will turn 34 next April, and the Dodgers should bring him back?

Yep.

A.J. Ellis had knee surgery, badly sprained his ankle and started only 89 games last year, and the Dodgers should re-sign him?

Absolutely.

Ellis is arbitration eligible for the next two seasons after making $3.55 million last year and some think maybe this is as far as his L.A. ride goes. That it’s time for an upgrade at catcher.

The Dodgers can either non-tender him, try to sign him pre-arbitration or go through the arbitration process. They could non-tender him and then try to sign him at a lower salary and avoid any potential raise through arbitration.

But they can’t just let him go, because then who would the media quote every night?

Seriously, if your catcher hits a little, those are bonus points. Unexpected dividends.

His main job is to work behind the plate and with the pitching staff, where Ellis flat out excels. He is one of the most respected players in the clubhouse for the work he puts into his time behind the plate. He is one of their finest team leaders.

Of course, teams don’t write big checks just for being great in the clubhouse and that .191 number is not going anywhere. He was also their top hitter in the postseason (.538), so I can’t see getting too hung up on his batting average.

Better to figure someone who had a lifetime .256 career batting average entering the season was handicapped in 2014 by his injuries and will rebound offensively. He also hit only three home runs, after hitting 10 last season and 13 in 2012.

If the Dodgers elect to let him go and he signs with some team in a small ballpark, it’s not difficult to envision Ellis hitting 15 home runs next season. Russell Martin, after averaging six home runs a season in his last two years with the Dodgers, has averaged 16 homers the past four years playing in hitter-friendly ballparks for the Yankees and Pirates.

And some are speculating Martin, a free agent, could garner a four-year, $60-million deal this off-season.

If you’re the Dodgers, have a record $240-million payroll and are looking to scale back, you’re not going to make significant headway trying to squeeze Ellis out of another million.

If they offered him the same salary he made last season and he turned it down, think he could make more elsewhere? This is where his greatest value is, where he likely could get his best deal.

All deals are pretty much on hold until the Dodgers determine whether to return Ned Colletti as the general manager, but bringing Ellis back makes sense on multiple levels.

If they want to bring in someone as their new starter, there’s not much out there after the retread Martin. And those rare teams with solid catchers who can also hit aren’t usually in the trade market. There’s not really anything in their system, either.

So bring him back. It’ll make Clayton Kershaw and the media happy.