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Dodgers Option Bobby Miller

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The Dodgers optioned Bobby Miller to Triple-A Oklahoma City this afternoon. Los Angeles recalled reliever Ricky Vanasco to step into the bullpen for the time being.

Miller was the Dodgers’ most reliable starting pitcher by the end of his rookie season. The former first-round pick and top prospect turned in a 3.76 ERA over 23 starts in his debut campaign. He entered this year as the arguable #3 arm behind offseason pickups Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Miller’s year could hardly have started any better, as he tossed six scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Cardinals in his debut.

Things fell off after that. The Cubs tagged Miller for five runs without allowing him to escape the second inning during his next start. Miller came out of his third appearance with shoulder inflammation. He spent the next two months on the injured list.

The Dodgers activated Miller from the IL on June 19. He has taken the ball four times since that point with dismal results. Miller allowed five runs over 6 1/3 frames at Coors Field. He surrendered three runs over two innings to the White Sox before tossing five frames of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Working on a full week of rest, he hit a low point in last night’s start against the Phillies.

Philadelphia tagged Miller for nine runs on 10 hits through four innings. He gave up two home runs and has surrendered at least one longball in each of his last four outings. Miller has issued three walks in every appearance since returning and hasn’t recorded more than four strikeouts in a start. Since his reinstatement, he has allowed 19 runs across 17 1/3 innings. Miller has walked 12 while striking out nine. Opponents are hitting .338/.434/.620 with five homers in 83 plate appearances.

That’s obviously nowhere near the level the Dodgers were expecting. Miller and skipper Dave Roberts each told reporters that the pitcher is not working through any shoulder discomfort (link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). Miller has lost a bit of velocity, though, sitting in the 96-97 MPH range with his fastball after averaging around 99 MPH during his season debut. It’s possible there’s something amiss mechanically, although a 96-97 MPH heater should still have plenty of life.

Pitchers must spend at least 15 days in the minors after being optioned unless they’re recalled to replace an injured player. The Dodgers can bring Miller back up on July 25. That could amount to skipping just one turn through the rotation because of next week’s All-Star festivities, but Roberts said the team doesn’t have a specific target for Miller’s return. It’s not out of the question he remains in Triple-A past the July 30 trade deadline.

Miller’s demotion is another hit to what has become a rotation in flux. The Dodgers have placed Yamamoto, Glasnow and Walker Buehler on the injured list over the past few weeks. Glasnow is dealing with what seems to be minor back tightness and should be back in short order. The timeline on Buehler (hip inflammation) and Yamamoto (rotator cuff strain) is less clear. Los Angeles could welcome Clayton Kershaw around the end of this month, but he’s coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.

Gavin Stone, James Paxton and Landon Knack now stand as the top three arms in the L.A. rotation. Lefty Justin Wrobleski made his big league debut over the weekend and will probably get another start. They’re essentially out of other healthy starters. Ardaya reported last night that righty Kyle Hurt, who might’ve been a depth option, is being shut down after experiencing elbow soreness in Triple-A. The Dodgers will probably need to deploy a bullpen game at some point this week to get to the All-Star Break.

With a 7.5 game cushion in the NL West, the Dodgers have some leeway to weather a tough few weeks on the rotation front. They still have plenty of upside for a playoff rotation that could include Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Stone, and potentially a resurgent Buehler or Miller. There’s growing uncertainty with the group, though, which raises questions for the front office before the deadline.

The Dodgers have already reportedly made an offer for White Sox breakout lefty Garrett Crochet. Chicago turned it down, but L.A. will surely remain one of a number of teams in that mix. Crochet’s teammate Erick Fedde is also likely to be traded, as are rentals Jack Flaherty and Yusei Kikuchi.

Dodgers Place Tyler Glasnow On Injured List

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The Dodgers announced that they have placed right-hander Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness. Righty Michael Petersen has been recalled in a corresponding move. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic previously relayed word from manager Dave Roberts on X that Glasnow would be hitting the IL since his back tightened up on Sunday and Ardaya also tweeted about Petersen’s presence in the clubhouse. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on X, the team is hoping it’s a minor issue and that Glasnow could be back shortly after the All-Star break.

Around the All-Star break, teams are generally more willing to give players a stint on the IL even for something small as it can allow the player to miss fewer games than otherwise. With the four-day break coming up next week, Glasnow might only miss a couple of turns through the rotation before returning.

It’s also possible that the Dodgers are using this minor issue and the break to simply get Glasnow a bit of rest. Due to some notable injuries earlier in his career, his career high for innings pitched in a major league season is the 120 frames he pitched with the Rays last year. He’s already at 109 innings here in 2024 and will surely set a new benchmark as long as he returns from this back issue in good form and avoids any other injury stints.

By and large, the Dodgers have seemed willing to pump the brakes on the regular season workloads of their pitchers with the aim of keeping everyone healthy for later in the year and into the postseason. They have been fairly committed to giving their starters more rest than other clubs, often deploying bullpen games or spot starts in order to keep their starters from getting overworked, and this may be part of that as well.

Glasnow’s results have been strong on the year, as he has allowed 3.47 earned runs per nine frames. He has struck out 33.6% of batters faced while limiting walks to a 6.8% clip. He’s also kept 48.2% of balls in play on the ground. Despite those grounders, the home runs have been an issue, with 14% of his fly balls leaving the yard. That’s above the 11.2% league average this year but below Glasnow’s career rate of 15.5%.

In the meantime, the club will have to navigate the next portion of their schedule without those contributions. Justin Wrobleski just came up to make a spot start but is still with the club, so perhaps he will stick around to help cover for Glasnow in the rotation alongside James Paxton, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and Landon Knack. The club also has Ryan Yarbrough on the roster for some multi-inning relief work. Kyle Hurt is on optional assignment while prospect River Ryan is in Triple-A but not on the 40-man roster.

Fairly or unfairly, Glasnow has reputation for being injury prone but there’s nothing at this point to suggest this is anything more than a precautionary move. The Dodgers are 7.5 games up on the Padres in the West and, as mentioned, have been on the precautionary side with their pitchers all year.

Nonetheless, the constant rotating of pitchers on and off the IL will be an interesting situation to monitor. Significant rotation injuries seemed to undercut the club in the postseason last year. Currently, the club has Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Emmet Sheehan all on the injured list. Sheehan is done for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May and Gonsolin is unlikely to come back this season with his own Tommy John procedure having taken place at the start of September last year.

But the others are all candidates to return at some point in the second half, joining the current rotation mix. Even if a few of those guys suffer setbacks, the Dodgers should have more healthy rotation options in October than they did at that time last year.

Dodgers Select Justin Wrobleski

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TODAY: The Dodgers officially announced the selection of Wrobleski’s contract today and optioned right-hander Gus Varland to make room for the lefty on the active roster. The club previously cleared a 40-man roster spot by trading lefty Matt Gage to the Mets earlier today.

July 5: The Dodgers are planning to promote left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski this weekend, according to a report from Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. He will make his MLB debut in a spot start on Sunday against the Brewers. Corresponding moves will be necessary for the Dodgers to add Wrobleski to the 26 and 40-man rosters.

Wrobleski, 23, has quickly risen through the Dodgers’ minor league system since making his professional debut in 2022. He made a name for himself last season at High-A, tossing 102 1/3 innings over 25 games (23 starts) with a 2.90 ERA and 3.22 FIP. That performance helped him rocket up Dodgers prospect lists ahead of the 2024 season; Baseball America ranked him #6, FanGraphs ranked him #11, and Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him #9. All three publications agreed he was the top left-handed pitching prospect in the organization.

The southpaw received a promotion to Double-A at the beginning of the 2024 season, and he continued to pitch just as well as he had the year before. In 13 starts for the Tulsa Drillers, Wrobleski put up a 3.06 ERA and 2.98 FIP, walking just 4.8% of batters he faced. After pitching what was arguably the best game of his career to date (seven shutout innings against the Arkansas Travelers), he earned another promotion.

Wrobleski has since made a couple of starts for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club. Although his surface-level stats leave something to be desired (five earned runs in 10 1/3 innings of work), he went at least five innings in both games and struck out 17 of the 43 batters he faced.

Although Wrobleski only has two starts at Triple-A under his belt, the Dodgers seem to have decided he is ready for a new challenge. That challenge will come in the form of the NL Central-leading Brewers, who currently rank fourth in the NL with 4.8 runs scored per game. It’s no easy task, but it helps that the Brewers have struggled against left-handed pitching this season. Their offense has a .749 OPS and 114 wRC+ against righties, compared to a .679 OPS and 95 wRC+ against southpaws.

The Dodgers have lost several starting pitchers to injury the season, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler the latest casualties. The team is currently relying on Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, James Paxton, Bobby Miller, and Landon Knack as the starting five, and Wrobleski’s spot start will allow those five arms to take an extra day of rest.

Mets Acquire Matt Gage

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The Mets announced this afternoon that they’ve acquired left-hander Matt Gage from the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. Gage was subsequently optioned to Triple-A. The Mets transferred right-hander Drew Smith to the 60-day injured list to make room for Gage on the 40-man roster.

Gage, 31, was a tenth-round pick by the Giants back in 2014 but didn’t make his big league debut until 2022 as a member of the Blue Jays. Since then, he’s appeared in 16 games between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns at the big league level with Toronto and Houston. He’s performed quite well in that time, with a fantastic 1.83 ERA and a solid 3.97 FIP in 19 2/3 innings of work. He sports an impressive 26% strikeout rate across his time in the majors but has walked an elevated 11.7% of opponents as well, raising questions about his control.

Gage arrived in L.A. as part of the Caleb Ferguson trade with the Yankees over the winter and re-signed with the club on a minor league deal back in April shortly after being released from his big league contract. He’s pitched for the club at the Triple-A level since then, posting a decent 4.29 ERA in 21 innings with ratios reminiscent of the ones he flashed during his time in the majors. He struck out an impressive 29.3% of batters faced with L.A.’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City but paired that high-octane stuff with a 13% walk rate. The Dodgers opted to select Gage to the 40-man roster last week after he triggered an opt-out clause in his contract, but he remained at the Triple-A level for the remainder of his time in the organization.

Now with the Mets, Gage figures to serve as optionable bullpen depth for a club that has seen its relievers struggle in recent months. Since the start of May, Mets relievers have struggled to a 4.62 ERA that bests only the Pirates and Rockies among NL clubs, and their 4.50 FIP during that same timeframe ranks fourth from the bottom in the majors. In particular, the Mets have struggled to find production from the left side in the bullpen this year. Veteran southpaw Jake Diekman has posted a 5.06 ERA and 5.61 FIP in 26 2/3 innings of work during his age-37 season for the club this year, while depth options Tyler Jay (7.71 ERA in 4 2/3 innings) and Josh Walker (5.11 ERA in 12 1/3 innings) have performed even worse in small sample sizes. The struggles of the club’s internal options should provide Gage with a relatively clear path to a role at the big league level for the Mets, so long as he can produce at a level anywhere near what he’s done in the past for the Blue Jays and Astros.

As for Smith, his placement on the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise given recent reporting that the righty is likely to require Tommy John surgery due to significant damage to his ulnar collateral ligament. He was already ticketed for an extended absence prior to his placement on the IL, and the transfer should not impact his timeline with the remainder of his 2024 campaign already in doubt.

Dodgers Place Jason Heyward On 10-Day IL, Recall James Outman

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The Dodgers placed Jason Heyward on the 10-day injured list prior to yesterday’s game, as an MRI revealed that the veteran outfielder is dealing with a left knee bone bruise.  Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times) that no structural damage was found in Heyward’s knee, so the IL stint might not be too lengthy.  This is the second IL visit of the season for Heyward, who already missed about six weeks due to back tightness.  Heyward has hit .203/.299/.398 over 137 plate appearances, which translates to exactly league-average (100 wRC+) offense while almost exclusively facing right-handed pitching, plus Heyward has contributed his usual strong defense as a regular right fielder and part-time center fielder.

James Outman was called up from Triple-A to take Heyward’s spot on the roster and his overall role in the Los Angeles outfield mix.  After finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season, Outman got off to such a cold start (.516 OPS in 124 PA) that the Dodgers optioned him to Triple-A in mid-May.  With the caveat that the Pacific Coast League is very hitter-friendly, Outman has hit .279/.393/.531 with nine homers in 179 PA with Triple-A Oklahoma City, providing some hope that he has gotten himself back on track.  A resurgent Outman would be a big boost for the Dodgers, and if Outman is productive and Heyward doesn’t miss much time, this internal help might factor into whatever plans the club has about adding outfield help at the deadline.

Dodgers Release Jonathan Araúz

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The Dodgers have released Jonathan Araúz, according to the infielder’s player page on MLB.com. The 25-year-old spent the first three months of the season playing around the infield for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club.

Arauz signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers last December, after electing free agency at the end of the 2023 campaign. He spent the previous season in the Mets organization, playing in 100 games for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets and 27 contests for the big league squad. However, he was outrighted at the end of the season and chose to seek a new opportunity with another team.

Signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2014, Arauz made his professional debut in Philadelphia’s system at just 16 years old. Not long after, he was traded to the Astros as part of the Ken Giles deal. The infielder then spent four years in Houston’s minor league system until the Red Sox took him in the Rule 5 Draft ahead of the 2020 season.

Arauz appeared in the majors every year from 2020-23, first with the Red Sox and then the Orioles and Mets. He has played a total of 95 MLB games, slashing .184/.253/.308 across 262 PA. He has never graded out as a particularly effective fielder or baserunner either, but he provides value with his versatility; he can hold his own at second base, third base, and shortstop. The Dodgers, who appreciate positional flexibility, had some questions about their infield picture entering the season, so Arauz made good sense as a minor league depth signing. However, he has hit especially poorly at Triple-A, slashing .227/.286/.324 with a 51 wRC+. With several other infielders playing significantly better for Oklahoma City, Arauz became the odd man out.

Arauz is now free to search for his next professional opportunity. Not yet 26 years old, he should be able to find another club in need of a versatile infielder with big league experience.

Dodgers Select Matt Gage, Outright J.P. Feyereisen

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The Dodgers added lefty reliever Matt Gage to the 40-man roster but will keep him on optional assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Jon Heyman of the New York Post, who first reported the move (X link), indicates that Gage triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal. L.A. needed to put him on the 40-man or allow him to hit free agency. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers outrighted reliever J.P. Feyereisen from the 40-man roster.

Gage has impressed over 18 appearances in OKC. He carries a 2.79 earned run average through 19 1/3 innings. Gage has fanned an excellent 32.5% of batters faced while inducing grounders on 46.7% of batted balls. A 12% walk rate is a red flag, but Gage’s ability to miss bats at the top minor league level convinced the front office not to let him head back to the open market.

It won’t immediately net him an MLB roster spot, though. Gage still has one option year remaining, so the Dodgers can keep him in OKC for the rest of the season if they retain him on the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old has logged brief major league action with the Blue Jays and Astros over the last couple years. He owns a 1.83 ERA across 19 2/3 MLB frames, striking out 26% of batters faced with an 11.7% walk rate. Gage is a former 10th-round pick out of Siena College. He has pitched in parts of six Triple-A campaigns, where he carries a 4.95 ERA over 261 2/3 innings.

Feyereisen has had a rough season both in Triple-A and at the big league level. He owns a 6.75 ERA through 18 2/3 frames with Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old has logged 11 big league innings, surrendering 10 runs on 11 hits and five walks with nine strikeouts. The Dodgers evidently placed Feyereisen on waivers earlier in the week. He already went unclaimed and seems likely to stick in the organization at OKC.

As a player with between three and five years of service time, Feyereisen would need to relinquish his salary to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency. He’s making $770K this season after avoiding arbitration over the winter. Assuming he sticks in the organization, Feyereisen would become a free agent next offseason if the Dodgers don’t add him back to the 40-man roster.

Whether he gets another look in L.A. should depend on whether he can recapture his best form in the minors. Feyereisen was an excellent reliever with the Brewers and Rays between 2021-22. He turned in a 2.73 ERA through 56 innings in ’21 and fired 24 1/3 frames without allowing an earned run in 2022. That stellar season was cut short by a shoulder injury that necessitated rotator cuff surgery the following offseason. The Rays traded Feyereisen to the Dodgers a week later.

Dodgers Sign Alan Trejo To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers signed infielder Alan Trejo to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City, tweets Triple-A broadcaster Alex Freedman. Dodgers Daily first reported last night (on X) that the L.A. native had agreed to a minor league contract with Los Angeles.

Trejo, 28, became a free agent after being designated for assignment by the Rockies last week. A former 16th round pick by Colorado out of San Diego State, he changes organizations for the first time in his career. Trejo cracked the MLB roster for the first time early in the 2021 season. He has appeared in each of the last four seasons, working mostly in a utility capacity. He logged his most significant action a year ago, hitting .232/.288/.343 over 82 contests.

A right-handed hitter, Trejo has never been a huge offensive threat. He owns a .228/.276/.334 line in 469 MLB plate appearances. That includes a .143/.182/.143 slash with 15 strikeouts and two walks through 28 games this year. He has slightly above-average grades for his defensive work at second and third base, however. Trejo also has 263 1/3 frames of shortstop experience, where public metrics have rated him a bit below average.

The ability to play competent or better defense throughout the infield appeals to a Dodger team that’s currently without Mookie Betts and Max Muncy. The Dodgers have pushed Miguel Rojas into regular shortstop work. Cavan Biggio, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernández are multi-positional options who are picking up work at third base. Gavin Lux remains the starter at second base despite a .221/.270/.301 showing on the year. Trejo doesn’t provide much more of an offensive ceiling, but he’s an experienced option who can cover at all three positions.

Dodgers Rumors: Stone, Crochet, Shortstop, Outfield

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Several teams tried to pry right-hander Gavin Stone from the Dodgers in offseason trade talks, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today, but Los Angeles held firm on the former top prospect and is now reaping the benefits. After yielding 31 runs in his first 31 big league innings last season, Stone has emerged as a vital member of manager Dave Roberts’ rotation.

Stone, 25, ranks second on the Dodgers with 89 innings pitched and is tied for second with 15 games started. He’s posted a terrific 2.73 earned run average through the season’s halfway point. While his 19.5% strikeout rate is below average and his .268 average on balls in play and 6.3% homer-to-flyball ratio suggest there’s likely some ERA regression in store, he has the look of a legitimate big league starter. The 2020 fifth-round pick has been a constant in the L.A. rotation while the team has navigated injuries for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler and others.

The Dodgers have a whopping six starters on the injured list, to say nothing of oft-injured arms like James Paxton and Tyler Glasnow healthy and in the rotation. Glasnow, in particular, is already 17 innings from his career-high at the MLB level (120 innings). He’s never topped 155 innings in any professional season before.

Unsurprisingly, given the wide slate of current injuries and the health histories of their current arms, the Dodgers have been exploring the market for pitching. Nightengale reported within that same column that the Dodgers have already made an offer to the White Sox for lefty Garrett Crochet, which has been rejected, and the latest report from Ken Rosenthal, Patrick Mooney and Will Sammon of The Athletic also touches on Los Angeles’ interest in Crochet.

Crochet isn’t an ideal fit for a team seeking consistent, bankable innings — as the Dodgers currently are. This year’s 101 1/3 innings is more than Crochet, a 2020 draftee, had thrown in his entire professional career combined prior to the ’24 campaign. There are questions about how the left-hander will hold up down the stretch, and The Athletic trio suggests he’s not a lock to spend the remainder of the season pitching in a regular rotation role if he is indeed moved — as the White Sox are reportedly planning on after extension talks with Crochet quickly stalled out. The Dodgers, however, view Crochet as a legitimate October weapon regardless of the role in which he’s used and could simply figure out the specifics of his usage down the line, depending on how the second half of the season plays out.

Rotation innings are just one of multiple questions the Dodgers will face over the next four-plus weeks as the deadline looms. They’re also staring down an absence of six to eight weeks for star leadoff man Mookie Betts, who in recent years has moved from right field to both middle-infield positions, playing virtually anywhere the team asks without seeing any real drop-off in his MVP-caliber offensive production. With Betts on the shelf, the Dodgers have plugged hot-hitting Miguel Rojas back into a regular role at shortstop, and the veteran’s play this season could make that a more permanent arrangement when when Betts is healthy.

“I would, I would,” manager Dave Roberts replied when asked by Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times whether he’d consider keeping Rojas his everyday shortstop when Betts returns. “I don’t think anyone can debate the level of shortstop play from Miguel Rojas. Some of it is contingent on the timeline for Mookie’s return and where Miggy is physically and how things are going. But to your question, would I consider it? Absolutely.”

Rojas, 35, is hitting .297/.344/.446 (126 wRC+) — his best career production outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He’s playing his customary brand of high-end defense at shortstop, drawing lavish praise from both Roberts and Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, who calls Rojas one of the five best defensive shortstops in the sport. (Statcast lists Rojas tied for seventh among all shortstops with six Outs Above Average in just 215 innings this season; every other name among the top-8 this season has played more than 700 innings).

Keeping Rojas at shortstop and sliding Betts back over to second base in place of Gavin Lux could deepen the team’s lineup and improve the defense. The Athletic report notes that adding an everyday outfielder would allow the Dodgers to use Betts at second base and go with a platoon of Andy Pages and Jason Heyward in the outfield alongside the new acquisition and Teoscar Hernandez.

Of course, that’s just one of many viable scenarios, and it’s not framed within that report as a clear objective so much as one of various possibilities that could be explored. Alternatively, if the Dodgers were to add someone who can handle second base on a regular basis — and do so at a higher level than in-house choices like Lux, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez — that could push Betts back to the outfield.

As is frequently the case with the Dodgers, their blend of versatile defenders and a hefty lead in the division combine to create various trade avenues to explore while also reducing urgency to complete a deal. Los Angeles holds a 7.5-game lead over second-place San Diego in the NL West. They’ll surely upgrade in multiple areas between now and July 30, but the size of their lead likely reduces pressure on president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, GM Brandon Gomes and their staff to complete something in the short-term and gives them the luxury of taking a fluid approach to augmenting an already first-place roster.

White Sox Turned Down Dodgers' Offer For Garret Crochet

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There is no shortage of interest in Crochet, as Nightengale reports that 15 teams have checked in with the White Sox front office about the left-hander’s services.  The Sox have already turned down one offer from the Dodgers, who stand out as a logical suitor for several reasons — their win-now mentality, their rotation needs amidst several injuries to starters, and a deep farm system that would theoretically meet Chicago’s sky-high asking price.

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