The MLB trade deadline is just days away now, and there’s still a need for a Dodgers trade to help complete what they’re expecting to be a World Series journey. The good news, though, is that they might not need as much help as they appeared to need just two weeks ago, when injuries off the field and a free-fall on it were raising alarms around the team. Five straight wins out of the All-Star break have calmed the waters.
But outfield help is still on the docket, especially at centerfield, where last year’s star James Outman has flamed out and this year’s starter—Cuban defector Andy Pages—has not worked out.
Enter slugger Luis Robert of the White Sox, who could fill the gap. According to Bleacher Report, as we careen toward the deadline, the Dodgers are lined up as a “No. 1 Best Fit” for Robert, who is in the fifth year of a six-year, $50 million contract.
Luis Robert Tabbed ‘Best Fit’ Amid Widespread Interest
That’s the thrust from an article titled, “Ranking Best Fits for Luis Robert and top Available MLB Stars at 2024 Trade Deadline,” by analyst Zachary Rymer. In finding a landing spot for Robert, Rymer writes that the Mariners and Phillies are also possibilities, but that the Dodgers make the most sense, given their plethora of prospects and their win-now focus.
Wrote Rymer:
“Best Fit No. 1: Los Angeles Dodgers
“For example, the Dodgers. They’ve already been linked to Robert by (USA Today’s Bob) Nightengale, specifically by way of a potential megadeal centered on Crochet.
“The Dodgers are last in MLB with the minus-0.3 WAR they’ve gotten from center field, and close to the bottom (i.e., 27th) with the .602 OPS coming from the position. And contrary to the Phillies, their overall lineup is in greater need of deepening.”
There is some question as to whether Robert, after an All-Star year in which he belted 38 home runs, is up to the job and worth a Dodgers trade. Based on his production in 2023, he sure is.
But Robert has hit just .227 this year with a .299 on-base percentage and a .476 slugging mark. He missed most of April and all of May with a hip injury and has been stuck in a slump since coming back. It does not help that he’s stuck with the woebegone White Sox, but the Dodgers would have to be concerned that a change of scenery might not be all it takes for him to get going again.
Dodgers Trade Needs Might not Include Garrett Crochet
As for Crochet, the Dodgers have expressed serious interest in the White Sox breakout All-Star, projecting him as a starter for the near future and a reliever when September and October come around. But the need for pitching has softened in L.A. lately.
That softening started on Monday, when rookie River Ryan made an impressive debut against the Giants, allowing one run in 5.1 innings. It continued Wednesday when Tyler Glasnow returned from an injury to pitch 5.0 innings, yielding two runs.
It could continue on Thursday when Clayton Kershaw, recovering from shoulder surgery, makes his season debut against the Giants.
Walker Buehler, too, is expected to come off the injured list and begin a rehab assignment, and the Dodgers are holding out hope that rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches again before the year is out. Suddenly a desperately thin rotation is looking deep again.
Crochet would be welcomed, of course. He’s just not needed—not like a centerfielder of Robert’s quality is.
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