Cody Snavely
The start of the second half of the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season is upon us, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are kicking it off in a terrific way with a series sweep of the red-hot Boston Red Sox.
However, with the start of the second half, that also means the trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Dodgers, who are sure to be buyers yet again, have been linked to multiple names spread across the league.
Next Tuesday, July 30th, is the official trade deadline this season, which means we have less than ten days until all hell breaks loose. But before that happens, let’s catch up on all the latest rumors surrounding the Boys in Blue.
Crochet & Robert Jr. on the Dodgers’ wish list?
One of the first names the Los Angeles Dodgers have been linked to this season is Chicago White Sox left-handed starting pitcher Garrett Crochet.
Crochet, 25, has been atop the Major League Baseball trade totem pole, being eyed by virtually any contending team, and for good reason, as the lefty is having himself a career year, and the rebuilding White Sox are looking to cash in on that value.
Since being drafted during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the former Tennessee Vols pitcher has experienced a series of peaks and valleys. Prior to this season, the left-handed pitcher was primarily a relief arm, topping out at a career-high in innings at 54.1 during the 2021 season.
However, forearm trouble that would follow Crochet from college would catch up to him at the Major League level, forcing the lefty to undergo Tommy John Surgery and miss the entire 2022 season.
While Crochet would return at the end of the 2023 season, the results were not there, as he would post a 0-2 record with a 3.55 ERA. Still, entering the 2024 season, the White Sox, after trading away Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, would shift Crochet to the starting rotation, where he has taken a massive step forward in his career.
So far, in 2024, Crochet is among the favorites to win the American League Cy Young Award. He has pitched to a 3.02 ERA and 0.950 WHIP in 107.1 innings, collecting 150 strikeouts in the process.
Crochet also ranks 98th in pitching run value, 100th percentile in fastball run value, 98th in xERA, 93rd in whiff percentage, 98th in strikeout percentage, and leads the American League in strikeouts (150). However, what is most appealing to any trading partner is that he is under team control for another two seasons after 2024.
MLB insider Alden Gonzalez from ESPN claims that the Dodgers are looking to add starting pitching before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline. They’re setting their sights high, as Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet is at the top of their list.
Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet is considered to be at the top of the Dodgers’ list, regardless of whether he’s a starter or a reliever the rest of the way; he could be, at the very least, a key multi-inning member of the Dodgers’ bullpen — but the White Sox will ask for a return based on his value as a starter nonetheless.
Alden Gonzalez on the Dodgers intrest in LHP Garrett Crochet
What hurts the White Sox is that it is well-known about the innings limit Crochet will likely have to be on since this is the first full season removed from Tommy John and the most innings he has thrown in his Major League career. It is a considerable risk for a team that needs him to be healthy in October.
However, in Gonzalez’s report, he also lists that the Dodgers could try to put together a massive trade for not only Garett Crochet but also Luis Robert Jr. and right-handed relief pitcher Michael Kopech.
If Crochet is the top starter available at this year’s deadline, then Luis Robert Jr. is the best position player on the market.
Similarly to Crochet, what makes Robert Jr. so valuable is more than his bat, as the right-handed hitting outfielder is under cheap team control until the end of the 2027 season.
Luis Robert Jr. is a mixed bag for Dodgers fans. The slash line for the 2024 season is not pretty. The righty is hitting .227/.304/.471 on the season but does have a .775 OPS and 116 OPS plus.
Robert Jr. has also been off the field with various injuries throughout his Major League career, appearing on the injured list twenty-four separate times, including this year, when he missed time with a hip injury from April until June.
However, the 2023 season was the best of Robert Jr.’s Career. The righty clobbered thirty-eight home runs, drove in eighty runs, was an all-star, and finished twelfth in the American League Most Valuable Player Award, hitting .264/.315/.542 with a .857 OPS and 130 OPS+.
While the numbers do not look hot so far this year, the righty has begun to heat up as the summer months move closer to the deadline since June 15th; Robert Jr. has a .250 batting average with twenty-seven hits and four home runs in twenty-nine games.
The contract is also a massive reason why the Dodgers could be interested in a move, as the only outfielders on the 26-man roster that are under control after the 2024 season are Andy Pages, who is viewed more as a corner outfielder than a center fielder, which where Robert Jr. plays.
After this season, Robert Jr. is under control for three more seasons. In 2025, the righty is set to make just $15 million. In 2026 and 2027, the team would have two $20 million club options, which is exceptionally cheap for a player of his caliber.
The last throw-in of this deal is former starting pitcher Michael Kopech. He transitioned to the bullpen at the start of the 2024 season because his time in the rotation was not stellar. He went 12-22 with a 4.26 ERA in his career as a starter.
However, the stats have not improved much in the bullpen, either. The righty is 2-8 with a 5.05 ERA and has struggled with command, having a WHIP of 1.390 despite having a fastball that ranks in the 99th percentile in velocity.
Is Skubal a pipe dream or a possible reality?
Perhaps the most interesting surprise player mentioned in multiple rumors this trade deadline is Detroit Tigers left-handed ace Tarik Skubal, who is, in many eyes, the frontrunner for the American League Cy Young Award.
Skubal, 27, is having the best year of his career, with an ERA of 2.41 and a WHIP of 0.879, along with 140 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched this season. With two more years of control after the 2024 season, many assumed the Tigers would just hang on to him.
However, last month, the Athletics’ Jim Bowden reported that if the Tigers were blown away with an offer, they would consider trading the lefty to speed up their rebuild. Bowden listed two teams that could do the job: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles, two teams desperate for starting pitching.
The rumor was backed up just a week ago by Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, who reported that the Dodgers and Orioles have checked in on Skubal and are preparing to package multiple top prospects in a potential offer.
While Verducci’s sources within both organizations stated a deal is nowhere near close and likely won’t happen, when there is smoke, there is fire.
The Tigers, who have been rebuilding since the 2015 season, would likely look for a mix of Major League-ready players and some top offensive prospects. They have struggled to hit this season, which is a massive reason why they are in fourth place in the American League Central.
The Dodgers, who will get back Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw this week, will still need a frontline starting pitcher, especially with the future of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in doubt despite the righty beginning his throwing program this past weekend.
The asking price for Skubal will be astronomically high as the lefty is under two more years of control after this season, and unlike Garrett Crochet, Skubal is a proven starting pitcher who has pitched multiple years as a starter.
I wrote a piece a few weeks back when the rumors first came up and stated the Dodgers could get creative to get the asking price down by taking on Javier Báez’s contract, as the Tigers would gladly like to get off the hook for his $73 million owned the next three seasons.
But in reality, the Tigers would rather trade Skubal alone to maximize his value, which could cost the Dodgers multiple top prospects.
At face value, if it is a true bidding war between the Orioles and Dodgers, the clear “winner” would be Baltimore, as they have arguably the best farm system in baseball. But are they willing to blow that up in just their second year of contention? I don’t think so.
Time will tell if the Tigers are serious about trading their lefty, but if they are, I imagine it will be a late-hour deadline deal with the Dodgers and Orioles battling out for his services.
Could the Dodgers revisit an Arozarena trade?
One of the last major players that the Dodgers have been linked up until this point is right-handed hitting outfielder Randy Arozarena.
During the offseason, when the Dodgers were working with the Tampa Bay Rays to complete the Tyler Glasnow trade, multiple MLB insiders rumored that Arozarena’s name was mentioned. Still, the two clubs couldn’t agree and focused on the Glasnow for Ryan Pepiot swap, a trade that included Manuel Margot and Jonny DeLuca.
For a team like the Tampa Bay Rays, they are always looking to stay one step ahead in terms of their payroll, which was a massive factor in why they traded Glasnow in the first place, as the righty was set to earn $25 million this season.
Arozarena is in a similar but more complex situation. The fiery outfielder is under team control for two more seasons after 2024. However, he will likely go to arbitration both years, earning him more money than the Rays would like to pay him.
Prior to the start of the 2024 season, the Tampa Bay Rays and Arozarena did agree to a one-year $8.5 million deal, but trade rumors have surrounded him since the winter.
It has not been the best season for Arozarena as the twenty-nine-year-old is hitting .212/.314/.398 with a .712 OPS and 104 OPS+, but the righty has hit fifteen home runs this season.
During the 2023 regular season, Arozarena hit better and ranked in the 88th percentile in batting run value, 86th in average exit velocity, and 87th in walk percentage, but his postseason accolades make Randy truly valuable.
In his career, Randy Arozarena has hit .336/.414/.690 with a 1.104 OPS in the postseason, along with eleven home runs and winning the 2020 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award.
If the Dodgers are looking to upgrade their outfield, which will be easier than trying to get one of the infield names, such as Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Dodgers’ President of Baseball Operations could look to reignite those trade talks with the Rays for Arozarena.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Dodgers are the ideal fit for Randy, and if the righty is traded, that is the spot he would predict.
Following a dreadful April and May, Arozarena has looked like his typical self in June, and with Tampa Bay open to exploring deals, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman could turn to his old stomping grounds to round out a team that even without Arozarena looks the part of World Series contender.
Jeff Passan on the perfect spot for Randy Arozarena
Fellow ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney also hinted at the idea of Randy in Dodger Blue after interviewing DodgersNation host Doug McKain, stating, “The Dodgers and the Rays can make trades. They speak the same language—through the years, that has been the case.”
If the Dodgers were to swing a trade for Randy, they could also inquire about right-handed starting pitcher Zack Eflin or third baseman Isaac Paredes. With Max Muncy out indefinitely and no firm time on a return, that is a massive hole for the Dodgers moving forward.
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