The Arizona Diamondbacks, like all other 29 teams in major league baseball, will have to watch plenty of their former major- and minor-league contributors move on to new organizations over the course of free agency.

The organizational departures have already begun in bulk. Some have moved on, some have remained with Arizona in some capacity and some are seeking opportunities elsewhere.

And one such opportunity-seeker just found one with one of the Diamondbacks' biggest rivals: the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Former Diamondbacks catcher Christian Cerda signs with Dodgers

On November 2, alongside many other pending free agents, Diamondbacks catching prospect Christian Cerda hit minor league free agency, which ended his tenure with the Reno Aces at the time.

And since then, he's inked a deal with the Dodgers — assumedly a minor league deal due to Los Angeles' catcher room being mostly full at the MLB level.

Cerda and his agency announced that deal on his instagram account on Tuesday. Post below:

Cerda did not finish the 2026 season as one of the Diamondbacks' top prospects. His numbers over the course of a mere 70 games with the Aces were quite modest.

Cerda hit .234/.331/.361 for a .692 OPS with 5 home runs in those 70 contests.

Those who are familiar with the extreme offense-focused environment of both Reno itself and the Pacific Coast League will know that hitter numbers tend to inflate to intense heights due to those circumstances.

Therefore, Cerda's production, according to the park- and league-adjusted metric wRC+, was only good for a value of 68, which is considered 32% below league average.

He has, however, turned in above-average seasons at nearly every level below Triple-A up to this point. Cerda's 2026 season was the first taste of that level. Assuming he joins the Dodgers' Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets, Cerda will end up getting another crack at the Pacific Coast League.

Why Christian Cerda's departure to Dodgers isn't big loss for Diamondbacks

Fans of the Diamondbacks may be disappointed to see a prospect head over to the Dodgers' organization and catcher depth always a quality asset. But this is hardly a devastating transaction.

First, the Diamondbacks' major league catcher situation is promising. Gabriel Moreno, their young starter and franchise catcher, just won the National League batting title. He also just won what became his second career Gold Glove award.

Moreno is currently the only catcher on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster, as backup James McCann is a free agent. But McCann could be a lower-cost re-sign candidate. If he does return, that would provide Arizona a quality No. 2 catcher once again.

But in the minors, Cerda would have likely been down the depth chart, anyway.

Arizona's No. 5 prospect, Carlos Virahonda, is a catcher who has excelled on both sides of the ball and worked his way up to Double-A. He could be in Reno before too long.

Their No. 2 prospect is recent first-round draft pick Ryder Helfrick, a college catcher with a mature skillset.

And, of course, there's always Aramis Garcia, who the D-backs brought back on another minor league contract.

Cerda would, essentially, have had to put up high-level offensive numbers to be in serious consideration for an MLB opportunity with Arizona. It does not necessarily seem likely the Dodgers can provide him that, but moving on at least makes sense.