Dodgers at ‘Forefront’ of Trade Talks for All-Star Ace in Blockbuster Deal: Report

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly one of the front runners in talks to trade for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. It’s believed that the White Sox are likely to trade Crochet this offseason after not trading him at the deadline in July, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are at the ‘forefront’ of talks for Crochet. Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets are also interested in trading for Crochet.

The White Sox are reportedly seeking at least one “blue chip” prospect in a trade for Crochet. The Dodgers currently have four players in MLB.com’s top 100 prospects list, and the team could have to give up at least one to have a chance at acquiring Crochet. Their highes- ranked prospect is Dalton Rushing at No. 39, followed by Josue de Paula (No. 48), Alex Freeland (No. 70), and Jackson Ferris (No. 78).

Crochet is coming off his first full season as a starting pitcher in MLB, and easily the best season of his career. After becoming the first player to get promoted in the major leagues and not even play in the minors beforehand, Crochet was primarily a reliever and missed significant time because of Tommy John surgery.

Crochet finally returned for a full season worth of pitching in 2024 after he was named the White Sox’s Opening Day starter. He started a career-high 32 games, going 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts. Though Crochet recorded a subpar record as a starter, he was held back by a historically bad White Sox team that won just 41 games the entire season. Even so, he finished seventh in MLB in strikeouts.

The Dodgers are reportedly also one of two teams that are the frontrunners for Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, who recorded a 2.92 ERA with 181 strikeouts this past season.

Whether they add Crochet, Burnes, or even Roki Sasaki as many suspect, the Dodgers are favorites to add another star to their rotation this offseason.