Dodgers Rumors: White Sox's Crochet, Luis Robert Jr. Eyed Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline
June 25, 2024
As injuries keep piling up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, they are reportedly looking at a few different players on the Chicago White Sox as potential trade-deadline acquisitions.
Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Patrick Mooney and Katie Woo, the Dodgers like starting pitcher Garrett Crochet and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. as they explore their options leading up to the July 30 deadline.
The report also stated the White Sox have assigned "top scouts" to focus on the farm systems of the Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, noting that all three teams have shown interest in "multiple" players.
If the Dodgers are going to prioritize either player, it would presumably be Crochet. Their rotation is a mess right now with Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto added to the injured list within the last two weeks.
General manager Brandon Gomes said on June 17 that Yamamoto's timeline is "way too early" to know as he recovers from a strained shoulder. Buehler went on the IL due to hip inflammation on June 20, the same day that Bobby Miller returned from a shoulder injury.
Clayton Kershaw was shut down for a week due to soreness in his surgically repaired left shoulder, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that an MRI showed "showed no new incidents" and they are "confident that this is just a blip."
The Dodgers could also use an additional bat in the lineup with Mookie Betts likely to miss six to eight weeks after suffering a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch on June 16 against the Kansas City Royals.
Max Muncy is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day IL on July 19 due to a strained oblique. The two-time All-Star hasn't played since May 15.
The Athletic noted the White Sox "fear" they would be selling low on Robert at the trade deadline unless he gets hot at the plate within the next few weeks. He's hitting only .198/.284/.484 with seven homers in 25 games this season.
Robert has one more guaranteed season on his contract at $15 million, plus team options for 2026 and 2027 at $20 million each.
Crochet has been one of the few bright spots for the White Sox this season. The 25-year-old has a 3.05 ERA and leads the AL with 130 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. His trade value would seem to be sky high since he has two more years of arbitration remaining before hitting free agency after the 2026 season.
Despite their injury issues, the Dodgers (49-31) are still in prime position to win the NL West for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons. They lead the San Diego Padres by 8.5 games in the division entering Tuesday.