With the Dodgers limping into their series against the Tigers this past weekend and emerging from it in even worse form, the All-Star break could not have come at a better time. In Game 1, they sent youngster Justin Wrobleski to the mound with a 4.00+ ERA, followed in Game 2 by waiver claim Brent Honeywell—who had just gotten off a plane in Detroit 13 hours before he was scheduled to start—into the pen.
There is no worse situation for the Dodgers’ pitching staff. With the exception of Stone, all of the starters they have on the injured list—Paxton, Wrobleski, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, and eventually River Ryan—could form an All-Star rotation. Therefore, it would make sense for LA to step up their behind-the-scenes pursuit of White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. They’ll have to supplement the likely substantial offer that they made, which Chicago swiftly rejected. Additionally, it would make sense if they were prepared to apply that level of violence to other endeavors, which it appears they are.
The Dodgers and Orioles are assembling massive packages to entice the Tigers to give up lefty ace Tarik Skubal, according to Tom Verducci, who wrote for Sports Illustrated. This confirms what Jim Bowden suggested for The Athletic a few weeks prior, when the Dodgers’ interest in Skubal was largely conjectured.
Tigers are expected to get an offer from the Dodgers that is “loaded with top prospects” for Tarik Skubal.
Giving up top prospects is unavoidable if the Dodgers want starters with Crochet and Skubal’s caliber of play. Due to their current circumstances, LA may not even register as a major loss to fans when players like Josue De Paula and Dalton Rushing—who doesn’t exactly have a clear path to the majors with the Dodgers—leave. In fact, some fans might even urge the team to sacrifice them in order to win the World Series this year.
For the Dodgers, Skubal might be a more difficult acquisition than Crochet. The White Sox are going to sell. However, the Tigers are not in as much of a rush to follow suit. They’re hardly the worst team in the league, but they don’t have much of a chance to make the playoffs. They could get by with what they get from a Jack Flaherty trade without angering Tigers supporters by trading Skubal. It appears to be a battle worth fighting, nevertheless. Should Los Angeles manage to get him, they will have the pitcher Jeff Passan referred to as “the best in baseball” on their squad come playoff time. Attempting has nothing to lose.
