The Los Angeles Dodgers have a comfortable 7.5-game lead in the National League West thanks to a 52-33 record. But even after spending more than $1 billion to improve the roster this past winter, upgrades are needed before the July 30 trade deadline. Could president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman find a way to acquire Luis Robert Jr. and Erick Fedde from the Chicago White Sox?
Los Angeles ranks third in The Athletic’s power rankings for the week of July 1. Within this ranking was a trade deadline prediction that they’d land Robert and Fedde “in a package deal.”
“They’ll try to get Garrett Crochet instead, but they will be rebuffed. They’ll ask again and get re-rebuffed,” said The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee. “So Fedde it is, and they’ll be fine with that. He’s been excellent in his first season back from Korea.
“It will take a lot of shiny prospects and young players to make this happen, but don’t worry, the Dodgers will make more of them. Their only real cost will have to be the overtime pay to the people working the prospect assembly lines. The Dodgers don’t always go big, but this is one of the offseasons where they go a little nuts. You can’t have the offseason they had and limp into the postseason with on-hand roster fixes.”
Robert Would Be a Massive Upgrade for the Dodgers
Robert’s triple slash is .205/.279/.487 through 145 plate appearances this season. Of his 24 hits, 15 have gone for extra bases (six doubles and nine home runs). He’s also fresh off an All-Star season in which he set new career-high marks for homers (38) and RBI (80). That effort helped Robert win his first Silver Slugger Award.
Ahead of July 2 games, the Dodgers’ 1.0 fWAR from center fielders ranks 20th in baseball, according to FanGraphs. It’s accompanied by a collective .369 slugging percentage, which ranks 15th. Despite playing in just 31 games due to an early-season trip to the injured list, Robert’s 2024 performance has been worth 0.5 fWAR.
His recent production and age (he’ll be 27 years old in August) make him an attractive trade candidate. So does his contract. The outfielder’s six-year, $50 million deal runs through 2025, per Spotrac. There are also two club options worth $20 million each for 2026 and 2027. The White Sox aren’t in a rush to trade Robert, but that doesn’t mean teams won’t keep trying over the next few weeks.
Fedde Would Give L.A. Much-Needed Rotation Depth
The Dodgers spent a lot of money this past offseason. A good chunk of it went to fortifying the starting rotation with guys like Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million) and Tyler Glasnow ($136.5 million). However, manager Dave Roberts could use another dependable starting pitcher based on what L.A.’s injured list looks like right now.
Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw are all currently sidelined. May and Kershaw are expected to be back at some point after the All-Star break, but every contending team could use more pitching for the stretch run.
Fedde didn’t pitch in the majors last season because he spent it in Korea. The right-hander posted a 5.41 ERA across 454.1 innings for the Washington Nationals between 2017 and 2022. He had a terrific 2023 for the NC Dinos, posting a 20-6 record with a 2.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 180.1 innings. That performance also netted him KBO MVP honors.
He signed with the White Sox this past winter for two years and $15 million. Through his first 100.1 innings in 2024, Fedde has posted a 5-3 record with a 3.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 91 strikeouts. Whatever he found in Korea has followed him back to the big leagues. That could also help the White Sox cash in at the trade deadline.
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