As we get further into the offseason, the odds of Garrett Crochet getting traded continue to grow.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden confirmed on Tuesday what many others have reported already, saying every front office executive he’s talked to “believes Garrett Crochet will be traded by the end of this year.” Of the teams involved, Bowden has heard the Red Sox, Orioles, and Dodgers as the three most likely landing spots given their available position player prospects. Numerous reports from last week also tab the Mets and Phillies as two other teams in the sweepstakes.
It’s not surprising that both the Phillies and Dodgers are closely connected. Interest from the two teams was widely reported up until the final hours of this year’s trade deadline. The White Sox were reportedly close to a deal with at least one of the clubs for Crochet, but a third piece of the package could never be finalized.
Phillies infield prospect Aiden Miller figures to be a piece of interest, however, Philadelphia has been incredibly hesitant to include him in any trade talks with other teams. Outside of Miller, the organization’s top prospects mostly involve pitching, so unless either Miller becomes available or the White Sox are strongly interested in outfielder Justin Crawford, this might not be a perfect match. The Dodgers, on the other hand, have a plethora of young position players to offer, including outfielders Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope along with infielders Alex Freeland and Joendry Vargas.
Similarly to the above teams, the Orioles are once again linked after also showing interest at July’s deadline. Though they haven’t been willing to part ways with their prospect capital and make the big splash they desperately need, Baltimore is starting to feel a sense of urgency after dropping both games to the Royals in this year’s Wild Card series. The team’s current top four prospects – Coby Mayo (3B/1B), Samuel Basallo (C/1B), Vance Honeycutt (OF), and Enrique Bradfield Jr. (OF) – are all position players, which checks off Chicago’s box.
As for the Red Sox, top prospect Roman Anthony appears to be off the table, meaning the team could turn to shortstop Marcelo Mayer or outfielder Braden Montgomery as potential headliners. Mayer, 21, hit .307/.370/.480 in Double-A this season while seeing improvements in both his walk and strikeout rates compared to 2023. However, he has a concerning injury history that has limited him to about 70 games in each of the last two seasons, which isn’t ideal after the tenures of Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez.
Crochet, 25, missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and made just 13 appearances in 2023. Finally healthy in 2024, the left-hander completed his first full season as a starter. He quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game, notching All-Star honors after a strong first half in which he led all of Major League Baseball in strikeouts (150), K/9 (12.6), and fWAR (3.9). He finished the season with a 3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts, 2.69 FIP, and 1.068 WHIP over a career-high 146 innings thrown.
While nothing is reportedly close on any front for a possible trade, the White Sox will be at the center of rumors leading up to this year’s Winter Meetings. The annual convention will take place from December 8-12, so we will provide updates as rumors continue to circulate.
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