Getty Garrett Crochet
The Los Angeles Dodgers have arguably the most talent of any team in baseball, but with the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline approaching, they’re looking to add. Jim Bowden of The Athletic points to three Chicago White Sox who could make intriguing trade options for the NL West leaders.
“They’ve had discussions with the White Sox about several of their players, including Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham, and those talks are expected to continue throughout the month,” Bowden wrote in a trade deadline update on Thursday, July 11.
Crochet and Robert are two of the biggest names that insiders expect to be available at the deadline, and it’s no surprise to see LA linked to both. Landing all three may feel like an outrageous trade idea, but that has not stopped the Dodgers before.
“We’ve come to expect big moves from this club at the trade deadline, and this year shouldn’t be any different,” Bowden said. “The Dodgers have made inquiries with several teams about outfielders, starting pitchers and relievers.”
You could go all the way back to 2008 when the Dodgers landed Manny Ramirez at the deadline from the Boston Red Sox. He then hit almost .400 the rest of that season, socking 17 home runs in 53 regular season games.
More recently, the Dodgers landed Manny Machado at the 2018 trade deadline, then Trea Turner and Max Scherzer at the 2021 deadline. Yu Darvish, Rich Hill, Josh Reddick, and Brian Dozier have all come over in the last decade as well.
They may be A-list names, but as Jason Reed of Dodgers Way pointed out ahead of last year’s deadline, they were all rentals, except for Turner, who was under contract for an additional year. It points to the Dodgers not wanting to overpay for long-term solutions when they’re trying to win a championship right now.
The White Sox and Dodgers Could Still Make Great Trade Partners
Pham is the only one of the three prospects Bowden mentioned who will be a free agent at the end of the year. He signed a Minor League deal with Chicago at the beginning of the season and has put up slightly-below-average numbers (96 OPS+).
Still, he might be easier to move to Los Angeles than Robert, who is due $15 million next year and carries a pair of $20 million options for 2026 and 2027. It makes him more than a rental, but not an outrageous commitment. It also means his price tag will be higher than your average .220 hitter.
If Robert can return to being the 38-home-run monster he was last year, that contract is suddenly much more valuable. History has shown the Dodgers would be reluctant to meet what would be a bloated asking price when there are shorter-term solutions on the market.
What to Make of Garrett Crochet
Crochet’s situation is a little trickier. On one hand, the American League strikeout leader has a 3.08 ERA and two more years of team control. Based on that alone, it would take a hefty commitment from the Dodgers — or any team — to pry him from the White Sox.
On the other hand, Crochet has already doubled his previous career high in innings pitched, so if he does move, it’s likely his new team would limit his availability. How will that play into his asking price?
It might make more sense for the Dodgers to call up Chicago’s AL Central rivals, the Detroit Tigers, and inquire about Jack Flaherty, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. He hasn’t been quite as good as Crochet, but still has 115 strikeouts in 89 innings and a 3.24 ERA.
Regardless of where they go, it would benefit the Dodgers to not be frugal with starting pitching. With more starting talent on the Injured List than in the rotation, LA needs to add depth. And with a top-10 Minor League system, per MLB.com, they have the pieces to do just that.