Dodgers Rumors: Writer Proposes Trade for White Sox Veterans
The Dodgers, who initially opened as favorites to win the world series after the 2022 season, are not having the season they expected to have.
Sitting 1.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and 1.5 games lead over the Phillies to hold second in the NL Wild Card standings, the Dodgers have flashed their championship potential, but have not been the dominant team that we saw a year ago.
With the All-Star break approaching, and with it the reminder that Aug. 1 is less than a month away, the Dodgers are likely looking to buy at the trade deadline.
With a struggling bullpen and injury-riddled starting pitching rotation, strengthening their pitching staff is likely a box the Dodgers would like to check before the deadline. While young pitchers such as Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan have shown serious promise this season, relying on rookie pitchers as starters is not always the wisest choice.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer recently published his advice for Dodgers president Andrew Friedman, with one trade proposal fulfilling both the Dodgers’ need for a proven starter and a shortstop with heavy-hitting potential.
Rymer proposed the Dodgers trade away prospects RHP Nick Frasso and catcher Jesus Galiz in exchange for proven — but not peaking — starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and shortstop Tim Anderson, both of the Chicago White Sox.
Frasso is a promising pitcher who ranks in the top 100 overall MLB prospects. In 32 games in the minors, Frasso holds a 2.65 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Jesus Galiz is a quick and athletic catcher who has a strong arm to pick off runners stealing bases. In his 107 minor league games, Galiz has hit .241/.313/.370 and 7 home runs. Not eye-popping numbers, but he is a top-20 prospect in the Dodgers’ system.
Now that we’ve gone over the players leaving the Dodger system in this theoretical, let’s see what LA would gain.
To start with Giolito, the righty is having a solid season as a starter, holding a 3.50 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 18 starts. His wins-above-replacement is measured at 2.6 and his seven-and-a-half seasons in the league would fulfill the Dodgers’ need to have another veteran in their starting rotation.
Anderson is certainly off to a slow first half of the season, and has yet to hit a home run all year. But he’s been a 20-homer hitter before, hitting over 15 homers in four seasons. A side-by-side comparison of Anderson and current shortstop Miguel Rojas shows almost identical stats, with Rojas having arguably better numbers. Rojas has been a great defensive player for the Dodgers as well, but has had nagging injuries that have perhaps gotten in the way of his performance at the plate. Regardless of who wins the battle for the start, having a reliable option at shortstop is important as the Dodgers aim for a postseason push.
Of course, these hypothetical trades are just that, hypothetical. But if the Dodgers do in fact look for a reliable starting pitcher and solid shortstop come the trade deadline, perhaps they should call up the Chicago White Sox.
