The Los Angeles Dodgers were expected to be very active at the 2024 MLB trade deadline and reportedly had Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet at the top of their wishlist.
The trade deadline came and went with the Dodgers and White Sox coming to an agreement, but instead, it was Michael Kopech and Tommy Edman coming over to LA as part of a three-team trade that also involved the St. Louis Cardinals. As for starting pitching, the Dodgers pivoted and acquired Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers at a fraction of the price it would have taken to trade for Crochet.
Crochet ended up staying put at the deadline and finished out the year with the White Sox. He faltered a bit down the stretch with a 4.83 ERA in the final two months of the season, which was 1.60 points higher than his ERA from March-July.
Despite not getting their top target, the Dodgers’ front office pushed all the right buttons and things ended up working out well in the end. But now, the offseason provides the Dodgers another opportunity to negotiate with the White Sox for Crochet’s services if they so desire.
The White Sox didn’t find a deal they liked enough to trade Crochet back in July, but they are resuming those trade talks with teams and have clearly outlined what they are looking for in terms of compensation, according to Bruce Levin on The Score:
“We are focusing on position player return,” Getz said. “That is our primary focus in any trade talks. The right players have to be there. We can’t force anything. We certainly need to improve our offense. That is very clear. That is what we need to do in any trade or free-agent acquisition.”
Negotiations between the White Sox and Dodgers have already seen position players swap hands, with Miguel Vargas being the odd man out on LA’s roster. Vargas received plenty after his move to the White Sox, but the results were not great.
In 135 at-bats, Vargas hit .104/.217/.170 as the everyday third baseman for the White Sox.
Prospects in Dodgers’ system for a possible Garrett Crochet deal
The Dodgers have three position players in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, with Dalton Rushing (No. 39), Josue De Paula (No. 48), and Alex Freeland (No. 70) making up that list.
Though their thinking may have changed since, the Dodgers would most likely be unwilling to include any of these prospects in a trade after doing so back in July.
Joendry Vargas, Emil Morales, and Eduardo Quintero are the next three highest ranked position players in the Dodgers’ system. They are LA’s No. 7, No. 8, and No. 9 ranked prospects respectively.
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