The New York Yankees (54-36) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (54-35) are in the same boat from a record standpoint, but the two teams are going in separate directions at this point of the season.
New York has lost 14 of its last 18 games, while Los Angeles continues to win at a steady clip. Despite their contrasting play, the Yankees and the Dodgers each have World Series aspirations. With that in mind, what moves do they want to make before the MLB trade deadline?
FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal explained what markets the Yankees are keeping tabs on ahead of the team’s Saturday afternoon matchup against the Boston Red Sox.
“The first thing’s going to be their bullpen,” Rosenthal said. “It was really good the first six-to-eight weeks, but it was a little bit of smoke and mirrors. There’s not enough swing-and-miss in that bullpen, so they, like every other contender, will be targeting relievers.
“The other area to look at will be their infield … they could be looking for someone in that category as well.”
New York’s bullpen has struggled mightily of late, as the unit entered Saturday with a combined 5.11 ERA (25th in MLB), while surrendering 1.64 HR/9 (24th) over the last 14 days. Furthermore, closer Clay Holmes has blown five saves and surrendered a run in five of his last seven appearances.
As for the Yankees’ infield, first baseman Anthony Rizzo owned a mere .630 OPS before suffering an elbow injury last month; second baseman Gleyber Torres owns a .641 OPS; DJ LeMahieu has just two extra-base hits this season; shortstop Anthony Volpe owns a .687 OPS.
What about the Dodgers, who are coming off a monumental offseason, headlined by superstar Shohei Ohtani‘s signing?
“What they would like to do is add a starting pitcher because they have questions, really, with all of their starters in one sense or another, so a guy like Garrett Crochet would be ideal,” Rosenthal said. “He has an innings question surrounding him, as well, but the way the Dodgers can operate their pitching staff and maneuver different bodies, they can fit him in even if he has to go to the bullpen or pitch in a bulk role in the second half.”
The 25-year-old Crochet has been the most bandied about starting pitcher who could be available on the trade market. In what is his first season as a starting pitcher at the MLB level for the Chicago White Sox, Crochet has posted a 3.02 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and an American League-high 141 strikeouts across 101.1 innings (18 starts).
Offseason pickups Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.92 ERA) and Tyler Glasnow (3.47 ERA) and young right-hander Gavin Stone (3.03 ERA) have been superb for the Dodgers, but room for improvement exists in the back end of their rotation. Plus, right-hander Walker Buehler is recovering from a hip injury.
Rosenthal also speculated that the Dodgers could keep their eyes on the middle infield market, as Mookie Betts remains out with a hand injury and Gavin Lux (.211/.267/.287) struggles. Los Angeles acquired infielder Cavan Biggio from the Toronto Blue Jays last month, but he’s batting just .182 since the trade.
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