Despite laying low recently in Garrett Crochet trade talks, one insider has tabbed the Red Sox as the team to watch throughout the sweepstakes.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi said during Wednesday’s episode of Hot Stove to “pay really close attention to the Boston Red Sox.” Morosi lists the team’s strong prospect capital and desire to get a top-end start as the primary factors to consider them one of the favorites.
“Garrett Crochet, trade wise… pay really close attention to the Boston Red Sox.”
– @jonmorosi on #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/5iOcsnLSkK
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 27, 2024
“Garrett Crochet trade-wise, pay really close attention to the Boston Red Sox. They’re the team that, they have the prospects, especially if they don’t get a [Corbin] Burnes or if they don’t get a [Max] Fried. And we’ll see how things play out with Juan Soto. You think about the Red Sox and how disappointing this past season was, they need to make a massive move here.”
This news isn’t particularly surprising, especially since the Red Sox have long been viewed as one of the strongest suitors in the race. Despite some believing outfielder and top prospect Roman Anthony to be off-the-table, it’s been rumored that Marcelo Mayer or Kristian Campbell could also be potential headliners in a deal. Morosi backed up this claim, saying the White Sox may prefer to get prospects who haven’t debuted yet to better align with their future contention window.
“There’s been some reports about Wilyer Abreu possibly being part of this conversation. I was told that the White Sox are so far away from what they perceive to be their competitive window, they would prefer to get prospects who have not even debuted yet in the Major Leagues. Whether it’s an Anthony, or a Mayer, or a Campbell.”
Mayer, 21, hit .307/.370/.480 in Double-A this season while seeing improvements in both his walk and strikeout rates at that level compared to 2023. He does come with a concerning injury history that has limited him to about 70 games each year in both 2023 and 2024, which could make the White Sox hesitant to target him. Meanwhile, Campbell jumped three levels to finish at Triple-A this past season. The 22-year-old hit a combined .330/.439/.546 with 20 home runs and 77 RBI between the trio of affiliates.
This recent insight from Morosi comes less than a day after Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reported that an unidentified club has emerged as a “very aggressive” suitor for the White Sox left-hander. McAdam said that the Red Sox still view Crochet as an “attractive option,” but the organization has been quiet in trade talks lately as focus has been on Soto.
“Meanwhile, the [Red] Sox have been quiet of late in the trade talks surrounding the Chicago White Sox’ Garrett Crochet, according to an industry source. Another unidentified team has emerged as “very aggressive” with the White Sox in recent days, though it’s believed the Red Sox still view the lefthander as an attractive option.”
Based on Morosi’s latest, it seems that the Phillies may need to rework their package. In his pre-Thanksgiving column today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today expanded on Philly’s interest, going so far as to name Alec Bohm and Justin Crawford as two players who have been discussed as part of what he calls “extensive trade talks” between the two teams.
“They have spoken about Bohm and outfield prospect Justin Crawford in extensive trade talks with the Chicago White Sox for starter Garrett Crochet, but the White Sox are concerned with Bohm’s struggles the second half, posting a .681 OPS with just four home runs.”
In 606 plate appearances last season, Bohm slashed .280/.332/.448, good for a 115 wRC+. The numbers are a bit deceiving as his season was carried by a strong first half where he posted a 128 wRC+, compared to just a 90 wRC+ in the second half. With just two years left on his contract and the White Sox looking for younger players in return, it wouldn’t make sense for him to be a main piece of any trade for Crochet. Rather, it appears the Phillies have the most to gain from shipping out Bohm since it would allow them to make a strong play at Alex Bregman.
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 a possible trade still isn’t believed to be imminent, the White Sox will continue to be at the center of rumors leading up to this year’s Winter Meetings. The annual convention will take place from December 8-12.
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