If I could make one guarantee this winter, it would be that the Chicago White Sox will trade their ace, Garrett Crochet. Now, this isn’t a 100% guarantee because a lot can change between now and a deal being done, but it’s as close as you’re going to get to one in baseball.
Crochet shined in his first full season as a big league starter, earning a nod to the All-Star Game. The flamethrowing southpaw wowed baseball fans all year with dominant performance after dominant performance, all while playing for the worst baseball team in league history.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently reported he’s hearing very similar reports from front office executives around the league.
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“Every front office executive I’ve talked with believes Garrett Crochet will be traded before the end of this year, and they mention the (Boston) Red Sox, (Baltimore) Orioles, and (Los Angeles) Dodgers as the most likely landing spots because all three have the young, everyday position players the White Sox want in return for the 25-year-old lefty, who has two more years of team control,” Bowden wrote. “Crochet finished last season with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts over 146 innings.”
The fact that Chicago is going to deal him is almost a guarantee. The question that remains to be answered is who will land him?
All three teams that Bowden revealed make plenty of sense. They need an additional ace (who doesn’t need a young, controllable ace), while also having the prospect capital to deal away to acquire Crochet.
One team that wasn’t mentioned that should be in the front of everybody’s minds in this trade market is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies were heavily connected to Crochet during the regular season, but they ultimately didn’t land him.
Either way, I’d expect Crochet to be dealt after most of the top pitchers come off the free agent market. Whichever team misses on their free agent starting pitcher targets will remain in the hunt for the White Sox ace.
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