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The Dodgers came out of the All-Star break facing a decidedly difficult second-half slate, and got off to a good start with consecutive wins over Boston, including a come-from-behind extra-innings victory on Saturday. They’re now 17 games over .500 and have a 7.0-game lead in the AL West.
Still, rampant injuries up and down the roster have hampered the team, and they figure to be active at the trade deadline next week. The Dodgers have a top-tier farm system and would be willing to ship out prospects for a better chance at a World Series title this year.
With that in mind, ESPN is reporting that the Dodgers have a top target in their sights ahead of the deadline—White Sox breakout phenom Garrett Crochet.
Dodgers Focused on Adding Pitching
Crochet has been linked to the Dodgers before as a trade target, but ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez has Crochet as their first choice. In an article titled, “Four ways Dodgers can improve at MLB trade deadline,” Gonzalez wrote:
“Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet is considered to be at the top of the Dodgers’ list, regardless of whether he’s a starter or a reliever the rest of the way (Crochet, a converted starter, has already topped 100 innings after throwing no more than 65 in a season dating to his days at Tennessee). He could be, at the very least, a key multi-inning member of the Dodgers’ bullpen — but the White Sox will ask for a return based on his value as a starter nonetheless.”
Indeed, Crochet could be moved back to the bullpen, but he would help the Dodgers in either scenario. They need short-term help in the rotation, as Clayton Kershaw continues to fight his way back from offseason surgery while Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler are on the disabled list. Crochet could chew up some starts until the Dodgers get more arms back.
And he likely could do it well. Crochet is 6-6 in 20 starts this year, with an ERA of 3.02 and a WHIP of 0.950. He leads baseball in strikeouts, with 150 in just 107 innings.
Garrett Crochet Having a Breakout Season After Stretch of Injuries
Crochet is one of the most remarkable stories of the 2024 season, an ace starter and Cy Young candidate whom no one could have seen coming. He was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft by the White Sox out of Tennessee, picked based largely on his electric stuff—he showed a triple-digit fastball in college—but was a bit of a risk. He suffered a broken jaw and soreness in his shoulder in his three seasons in Knoxville, limiting him to 36 games, only 13 of which were starts, and 132 innings.
Crochet posted just a 10-9 record and an ERA of 4.64 in his entire collegiate career.
Still, Crochet impressed the White Sox so thoroughly while working out at the team training facility that he made his debut at the end of the 2020 season, just months after he was drafted, at the big-league level, becoming the first player in a decade to bypass the minors and debut with a big-league club.
Injury concerns about Crochet caught up with the team, when, after a successful debut first full season working out of the bullpen in 2021, Crochet missed all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He made only 25 appearances, all in relief, in 2023 as he was further dealing with recovery.
Crochet came into 2024 with 73 total big-league innings to his credit, and zero starts. Including college, he had thrown just 217 innings in a six-year span.
In a little more than three months, Crochet has thrown nearly half that number. And he’s been one of the best in the league in doing so. The Dodgers have shown a willingness to gamble on trades now, and this time around, Crochet is a worthwhile gamble.
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