The Los Angeles Dodgers made significant moves to enhance their roster during the offseason, investing over $1 billion and using several top prospects to form a team now favored to win the World Series.
The front office aimed to create a championship-worthy rotation by signing Japanese All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a record-breaking $325 million contract, offering veteran James Paxton $7 million, trading two top prospects for Tyler Glasnow, and re-signing Clayton Kershaw on a two-year, $10 million deal.
However, a series of injuries has disrupted these plans. Kershaw, Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin are all on the injured list just weeks before the trade deadline. The Dodgers have used 11 different pitchers as starters, with only five surpassing 50 innings pitched.
As a result, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is considering another major acquisition. The team is exploring the possibility of acquiring Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet, the top starter on the market and a left-hander who leads the major leagues with 141 strikeouts in 18 starts.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Los Angeles Dodgers had already made an offer to the White Sox for Crochet, which was swiftly rejected. “The White Sox have informed teams they are seeking young prospects with enormous upside.”
According to The Athletic, the White Sox have assigned scouts to focus on the Dodgers’ farm system, as well as those of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, indicating that they are considering prospect packages from those teams as the deadline approaches.
“In summary, the Dodgers have many alternatives, but few are guaranteed to start a postseason game. Garrett Crochet, the White Sox’s 6-foot-6 left-hander, might enter the picture, according to a joint report by Will Sammon, Patrick Mooney, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “And the Dodgers, like other clubs in search of rotation help, are intrigued by Crochet, according to sources briefed on their wish list.”
With the trade deadline still three weeks away and starting pitchers always command a premium, Crochet’s asking price is understandably high. The White Sox are one of only a few clubs that appear to be sellers this season, since they presently have the poorest record in baseball and have already traded frontline starter Dylan Cease.
Crochet has a 3.02 ERA and 0.928 WHIP after 101.1 innings and 18 starts this season, and he leads the American League with a 2.37 fielding independent pitching mark. He earns only $800,000 in his first year of arbitration, but he has tempting club control for the next two seasons.
Crochet’s primary disadvantage is his injury history, which might result in the Dodgers adding another arm to their roster if they trade for him. The 25-year-old has already surpassed his total combined innings from the previous three years of his career, and an injury forced him to miss the entire year of 2022.
The White Sox have begun regulating his workload, and teams interested in acquiring him may do the same in the hopes that he remains fresh for the playoffs. While they have a definite need for a starter, the Dodgers may see Crochet as a boost to a bullpen that has failed to generate strikes.
In any case, as the Dodgers approach their final opportunity to make a major roster adjustment and solidify their World Series hopes, the best starter on the market has emerged as a possible fit. Trading for Crochet might be a game changer that helps them achieve their championship goals.
“With health having been an issue for nearly every starter this season, Los Angeles is reportedly interested in White Sox ace Garrett Crochet as a remedy,” according to MLB.com. “Though the Dodgers have internal options to fill rotation needs, Crochet could provide the type of power arm that’s needed in the postseason.”
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