With the Phillies and White Sox heading in very different directions, it’s perhaps no surprise that the two have been involved in trade talks centered around Garrett Crochet.
In his pre-Thanksgiving column today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today expanded on the Phillies’ 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+. However, 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. It’s clearly not certain that the White Sox are heavily interested in Bohm. With just two years left on his contract, 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 including Bohm – according to Nightengale, if the Phillies trade Bohm, they are expected to make a strong play for Alex Bregman.
The big piece here would be Justin Crawford, the 44th-ranked prospect in baseball, per Baseball America. The 20-year-old quieted some concerns about his profile with a strong 2024 across High-A and Double-A, slashing /333/.380/.455 at the Double-A level while stealing a combined 42 bases between the levels. His profile is similar to that of his father’s – former big leaguer Carl Crawford – but Justin comes with concerns regarding his groundball rates and ability to impact the baseball.
Crawford is not the Phillies’ highest-ranking prospect, either. Both 3B Aidan Miller and RHP Andrew Painter figure to be part of the conversation for Crochet, who is under team control for another two seasons and has spoken of his desire to sign an extension with whichever team he is traded to over this offseason. Miller and Painter are the team’s highest-ranking position and pitching prospect, respectively, with Miller being named the team’s Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America in 2024.
The Orioles, Red Sox, and Dodgers are among the teams that are likely to factor into a potential trade for Crochet, which is reportedly something that Chris Getz would like to have completed by the end of the Winter Meetings in December.
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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Featured Image: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
