New update suggests Dodgers are still far from a Garrett Crochet deal with White Sox

Needing to look for a starter at the trade deadline definitely wasn't on the Dodgers' bingo card going into the 2024 season. Although they lost Emmet Sheehan during spring training, they rounded out the rotation with Gavin Stone, who is doing better than anyone could've asked for this year, and had Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw ramping up to be ready for late spring and late summer, respectively.

But injuries threw multiple wrenches into LA's gears, and in late June, the Dodgers find themselves without Buehler (again) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, while Kershaw just experienced his first hiccup in an otherwise smooth rehab process. The fifth starter spot is being held down by Landon Knack, but for a team that's looking for a six-man rotation in order to give the rest of their guys an extra day, taking so many hits to the primary pitching staff is far from ideal.

It's been confirmed that the Dodgers are looking seriously at the White Sox's Garrett Crochet, arguably the hottest name who will most certainly be on the trade market. The White Sox reportedly sent scouts to the Dodgers', Padres' and Mariners' minor league teams recently, which makes it seem like Chicago are looking for their pick of the litter if they're going to deal Crochet.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale had another update, packed into a huge notebook dump: the White Sox have already rejected an offer LA has made for Crochet. He didn't expand on who exactly the Dodgers offered up, but no doubt it was a substantial offer. So what would it take for them to say yes?

Dodgers and White Sox have reportedly already disagreed on a return package that could send Garrett Crochet to LA

Nightengale also noted that the White Sox are "seeking young prospects with enormous upside." For the Dodgers, that could mean Josue De Paula, who they would most likely be loathe to give up. It could mean two of the talented young lefty pitchers in the Dodgers' top 30, Jackson Ferris and Maddux Bruns, or some combination of all three and more.

But how far would LA go? Crochet is a much-needed lefty with two years of arbitration eligibility left, and he's on pace to pitch nearly 200 innings this season and strike out almost 300 batters. Multiple positions in LA are filled by superstars for the next 4-to-10 years, so some of their catching, first base, or pitching prospects could potentially be shipped off with only a little bit of hesitation.

There are other starters on the market (namely, the Tigers' Jack Flaherty, an LA native, and maybe even Tarik Skubal) that they could turn to if the White Sox's asking price for Crochet proves to be much too high, but as a team that's constantly in win-now mode, it wouldn't be surprising if the Dodgers end up giving away anything necessary to secure him.