Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The Dodgers are unsurprisingly on the hunt for starting pitching and outfield help at the deadline, and they may tap MLB’s worst team to find it.
According to a report from Jim Bowden of the Athletic, Los Angeles has “had discussions with the White Sox about several of their players, including Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert Jr. and Tommy Pham.” Bowden wrote that those talks are ongoing.
Crochet and Robert are Chicago’s two best players by FanGraphs’ WAR metric. There hasn’t been a player the Dodgers have been linked to more than Crochet, who boasts a 3.08 ERA in a career-high 105.1 innings. He’s also striking out a whopping 34.8 percent of the batters he faces. Crochet would help bolster a Dodgers pitching rotation that badly needs help with seven starters on the IL and Bobby Miller in Triple-A after struggling in his return from the IL in mid-June.
Robert would give the Dodgers another big bat in their outfield, which they needed even before Jason Heyward went down with an injury that landed him on the IL. James Outman has struggled in minimal action since being called back up from Triple-A, and Miguel Vargas isn’t consistent enough defensively to get every-day action.
Getting a player like Robert, who has 11 home runs in 166 plate appearances across 40 games, would solidify the middle of the Dodgers order and provide an everyday outfielder that moves Heyward into a reserve role that better fits his skill set at age 34.
Pham hasn’t been particularly stellar this year. The 36-year-old has played in 57 games and brings plenty of experience, along with decent production at the plate. However, he probably shouldn’t be an everyday player at this point. Adding him would give LA a reliable depth option, but Robert is a better player in 2024.
Expect the Dodgers to be tied to plenty of starting pitchers and outfielders as the July 30 deadline draws closer. Given the amount of smoke around them and the White Sox it wouldn’t be a surprise if they wind up landing one or more players in a deal with Chicago.
Author(s)
Kyle Madson has spent most of his writing career covering the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers. Aside from writing, Kyle also hosts a radio show, the Insiders, with James Ham on ESPN 1320 in Sacramento.
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