Dodgers-Garrett Crochet connection could plug the only hole in LA's title defense

The Chicago White Sox 2024 season was bad. It was so bad that is made history. The 2024 White Sox went 41-121, breaking the record for the most losses in a single season during the modern era, but if there was one bright spot in an otherwise abysmal season, it was Garrett Crochet.

Crochet went 6-12 in 32 starts with the White Sox, but his 209 strikeouts over 146 innings pitched were impressive enough to make him an All-Star. He is expected to be traded this winter as the White Sox begin a complete tear down and several top teams including the Los Angeles Dodgers have expressed interest.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' starting pitching woes

The Dodgers may be coming off a World Season title, but the road to the championship was not easy mainly due to a lack of starting pitching. With Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, Tony Gonsolin, and Shohei Ohtani all recovering from injuries, the team arguably could have put together baseball's best rotation from their IL.

Having a deep bullpen that rose to the occasion under careful, strategic management proved to be the difference factor in the Dodgers 2024 season but, if the team is looking to repeat next year, they need to shore up more starting pitching options. Leaning so heavily on the bullpen is simply not a sustainable solution.

With the current alarming rate of pitching injuries throughout the MLB, the Dodgers need to assume that they will loose arms for significant stretches of time throughout the season and, ideally, have a several backup options ready to go. Translation? The Dodgers need to invest in more starting pitching.

A Garrett Crochet deal could be a win-win for the Dodgers and White Sox

Garrett Crochet is a perfect option for the Dodgers. With the necessary resources to lock him up long term, Crochet could easily become a fixture in the team's rotation for years to come. At 25, he is still young. Having spent his entire career with the underperforming White Sox, the Dodgers are also interested to see what he develops into on a truly competitive team.

The Dodgers have the fifth-best ranked farm system and have shown in recent years that they are willing to trade assets to fill gaps in their lineup. The White Sox have made it clear that they want position players in exchange for Crochet. The Dodgers have three position players in the MLB's top 100 prospects list. Since the White Sox are nowhere near 'win now' mode, a return consisting of some combination of these players, draft pick(s), and depth pieces would be a really good investment for the White Sox's future.

With money to spend and a title to defend, it is no wonder that the Dodgers are going to be among the most "aggressive" teams to pursue Crochet this offseason. To get the deal done, they just need to put together the best return package for the White Sox.