Starting pitcher Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox has been a popular name in the MLB rumor mill this season. That will only intensify as the July 30 trade deadline nears. Could the Los Angeles Dodgers find a way to land the hard-throwing southpaw?
Borna Nazari of Hog Watch Media proposed the following trade during a Bleacher Report live stream that’d bring Crochet to Hollywood:
- Dodgers receive: left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet
- White Sox receive: outfielder Josue De Paula, outfielder Zyhir Hope and left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski
The Dodgers entered 2024 with the eighth-best farm system, according to MLB.com. They’ve also ranked De Paula (second), Hope (20th) and Wrobleski (14th) within Los Angeles’ top 20 prospects.
De Paula (High-A) and Hope (Single-A) are both years away from being MLB-ready. However, Wrobleski could technically be plugged right into Chicago’s starting rotation. The southpaw has posted a 3.23 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 68 strikeouts in 78 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He also just made his big-league debut on July 7, allowing four runs in five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers.
What Crochet Would Bring to the Dodgers’ Pitching Staff
If the Dodgers landed Crochet before the trade deadline, he’d bring controllable pitching depth to a staff that needs it right now. FanGraphs’ Roster Resource has Wrobleski, Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and Landon Knack as L.A.’s current starting five.
Among these hurlers, Wrobleski, Stone and Knack are rookies. They’ve been thrust into the big-league rotation because of injuries. Dustin May hopes to return late in the second half, while Clayton Kershaw’s rehab from shoulder surgery just hit a bump in the road because of lingering soreness. And then there’s Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of whom don’t have a firm return timeline yet.
Crochet is making just $800,000 this season and is under team control through 2026, per Spotrac. He’s put together some impressive numbers while already setting a new single-season career high for innings pitched (105.1). He’s posted a 6-6 record with a 3.08 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 146 strikeouts, which leads the American League.
The 25-year-old left-hander also has experience coming out of the bullpen. That would give the Dodgers options to manage his workload as other hurlers return from injury.
What’s on Los Angeles’ Trade Deadline to-Do List?
The Dodgers grabbed several headlines this past winter by spending more than $1 billion on roster upgrades. After doing something like that, it wouldn’t make sense to not remain aggressive at the trade deadline for the stretch run.
Ex-MLB general manager Jim Bowden thinks president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his front office will keep the club’s proverbial gas pedal on the floor. While discussing their deadline plans on Sirius XM on June 21, he made a bold prediction.
“So it is tricky, but I know I know the Dodgers and I know Andrew Friedman,” he said. “And everyone just take a deep breath because he’s gonna get a starter, a reliever, and an outfielder by July 30. Book it. Put it in cement.”
Based on their current situation, the Dodgers must supplement their starting rotation. Crochet is surely an ideal target for many MLB clubs. But if L.A. swings and misses in trade negotiations for the southpaw, one can imagine Friedman and Co. will have a worthy pivot ready.
