5 MLB Trade Offers the White Sox Would Take For Garrett Crochet

The trade deadline is looming and it’s finally time to really examine what potential trade packages could look like for stars on the block. I dove into how the White Sox could control a lot of the market this past week, in addition to breaking down possible mock trades for Luis Robert.

Now it’s time to focus on the other White Sox star who could moved for a haul.

After dominating as a rookie reliever in 2021, Garrett Crochet missed all of 2022 due to surgery and threw just 12.2 innings last season as he struggled to work his way back fully.

Entering Spring Training, rumors swirled around Crochet working back into the routine of a starting pitcher, despite having not made a single start in his professional career since getting drafted in the first round back in 2020.

To the shock of most including myself, Crochet not only earned a starting role during an impressive Spring Training but was named the Opening Day starter for Chicago. All he’s done since then is produce like an ace all season, while leading the entire league in strikeouts.

Through 18 starts, he has topped his total career innings prior to this season, while pitching to a 3.02 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 141 strikeouts. He has simply been excellent and continues to look better every start.

Crochet has even stronger expected metrics and has clearly established himself as a high-end MLB starter, despite the lack of experience and innings. He’s a risky potential acquisition for a contender due to the lack of career innings but is also the most talented starting pitcher on the market.

As he’s only owed $800,000 this year, with two more years of very affordable arbitration to follow, the asking price for the left-hander will be extremely high.

The White Sox don’t necessarily need to move him, but his value has never been higher than it is right now and the next contention window on the South Side may not come until he’s an expiring contract. There’s a chance the organization works to extend him, but it feels like it could be the right time to cash in on Crochet and/or Robert.

Essentially every contender will be in the market for pitching as is the case in July each year, but it will take a hefty package to pry him away from the White Sox. While I believe the price could be a tad lower than Robert’s price, Crochet continues to impress every start.

Here are some teams that could get a deal done, but it will take at least two high-end prospects and then some in most cases.

San Diego Padres

They traded for one White Sox ace a few months ago and it’s going rather well as Dylan Cease has been a pillar of their rotation all year. Why not go for another?

The Padres are among the many National League clubs in the crowded Wild Card contention field. They’re in a more precarious situation than many others given the money on their books already which could prompt them to be aggressive.

San Diego will need to address their rotation to legitimately contend this October and Crochet is likely the best starter on the market right now. With him in the fold, this team could have a very strong group of five arms if everyone could stay healthy down the stretch.

If the Padres were willing to move top prospect Ethan Salas, this deal would already be completed. In which case, it will probably take a pair of the Padres other top assets if the young catching prospect is not going to be involved.

This deal would have to feature a pair of studs and this proposed package would feature San Diego’s second and third prospects in addition to a fun add-on. Robby Snelling, while struggling a tad this year, would be a clear rotation option for Chicago as soon as 2025, while Leodalis De Vries is one of the most impressive young prospects around the league.

Potential Trade Package: LHP Robby Snelling (JB MLB No. 37), SS Leodalis De Vries (MLB No. 56), OF Homer Bush Jr. (JB Padres No. 7)

The pair of these two would be hard for Chicago to pass on as they’d get a talented lefty with ample upside to replace Crochet eventually and a long-term project who could become one of the best prospects in baseball soon. In addition, Homer Bush Jr. is an intriguing flyer as a speedster who has flashed some offensive upside early in his career.

Baltimore Orioles

Stop hoarding prospects and go win a World Series. That’s my sole sentiment in regards to the Baltimore Orioles as the deadline approaches, but I have a hard time believing they’ll offer enough to make this deal happen.

Baltimore’s obvious priority is going to be adding starting pitching due to their plethora of injuries and already-existing need for some pitching support. They seem likely to go a less expensive route and Chicago’s other top arm in Erick Fedde may make more sense, but they could easily pull ahead from other’s in Crochet talks if they want to do so.

Instead of moving four or five pieces and weakening their beloved depth, the Orioles could opt to just move the best possible singular prospect Chicago could net and get a deal done.

Rumors have swirled around the possibility of them moving Samuel Basallo and he would be a phenomenal headliner of any possible blockbuster. In fact, he creates the only option of all these trades where only one top 100 player would head back to Chicago. But that’s justifiable because of just how talented the 19-year-old is while already reaching Double-A.

The Orioles could enter the AL playoffs with a dynamic one-two punch without damaging their current and possibly even future lineup whatsoever.

Potential Trade Package: C Samuel Basallo (JB MLB No. 7), 2B Connor Norby (JB Orioles No. 6), Luis De Leon (JB Orioles HM)

The White Sox would be investing a lot in a rather young prospect, but they would also get league-ready infielder Connor Norby to ease some of the risk. He would instantly slot into an everyday role at second base for the White Sox.

I added in a flyer in De Leon, who has succeeded in High-A this year in just his age-21 season, but the Orioles could probably get the deal done without a sweetener if Basallo is involved.

Chicago may opt for more of a deep package given that trading their ace would signal even more of a rebuild, but their best chance of getting a superstar prospect is via a trade with Baltimore.

Philadelphia Phillies

While they don’t necessarily need a starter and I see them as more of a fit for a Luis Robert trade, the Phillies could swing a deal for Crochet if they want to. Philadelphia could create possibly the best playoff rotation in baseball if they added to the foursome of Wheeler, Suarez, Nola, and Sanchez.

The Phillies are in a fascinating spot as they could have a real shot at the World Series with their current roster, but Dave Dombrowski is historically aggressive in upgrading his rosters. With a farm system that has developed a lot, they have the pieces to add another high-impact guy.

They’ll try to avoid trading top prospect Andrew Painter but he could be in play if they’re getting a controllable arm like Crochet back. However, the White Sox are targeting bats and will certainly be eyeing the Phillies trio of top young hitting prospects.

Aidan Miller would almost have to the headliner of a deal and the White Sox would love to snag a guy that was seemingly in consideration with their first round pick last summer. If they’re heading in the direction of rebuilding, Starlyn Caba is very intriguing as an 18-year-old who looks the part of a true shortstop prospect and has elite speed with impressive bat-to-ball ability.

Those two would form a rather exciting duo for the White Sox to net in a deal for their ace, but they’d need one more piece. Initially, my idea was a buy-low on Mick Abel who has struggled a lot this year. However, let’s go all-in on lower level prospects with the hottest arm in the system.

George Klassen is having an unbelievable first professional season with a 0.96 ERA between Single-A and High-A. The Phillies could sell at the peak of his value, while the White Sox get another arm to add into their deep system of pitchers.

Potential Trade Package: SS/3B Aidan Miller (JB MLB No. 57), SS Starlyn Caba (JB MLB No. 71), RHP George Klassen

This may feel lighter than some other deals proposed and it might take one more piece, but two 2023 draft picks off to amazing starts to their careers, plus a top international signing would be very helpful for the future in Chicago.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers always have to be considered when it comes to huge trades and even with a seemingly deep rotation, they could be in the market for a starter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto going down with an injury and uncertainty surrounding Clayton Kershaw.

Because of their exceptional organizational depth and development, they have been able to survive due to huge contributions from Gavin Stone, James Paxton, Landon Knack, and others. They have an entire pitching staff worth of arms on the shelf, but are still going to cruise to an NL West title.

If they don’t see Yamamoto, Kershaw, or Walker Buehler coming back to full strength this season, they could push for Crochet who they have already expressed interest in recently.

He would form an exceptional duo with Tyler Glasnow and help the team go into October feeling more confident in their pitching staff. However, adding another pitcher with injury risk is definitely a precarious scenario.

The Dodgers have a range of prospects that could be of interest to the White Sox, but I have a feeling a deal would most likely have to start with 19-year-old Josue De Paula, who was recently promoted to High-A after playing all of 2023 in Single-A as an 18-year-old.

His upside is the highest in the system and is the exact type of headline prospect the White Sox will be looking for in a trade. While the Dodgers have a plethora of upper level arms, Chicago wants to target upside hitters and Los Angeles has others to offer in that area too.

Zyhir Hope looks like a massive draft steal from last summer and started the season strong within the Dodgers organization after an offseason trade. He’s been on the IL for a while, but has ample upside with speed and power.

That duo of young outfielders would be a great start to a deal, but Chicago would require another prospect closer to making an impact at MLB level. A pitcher who has been having a strong season could make sense here to potentially replace Crochet in the near future.

After a breakout 2023 campaign, Justin Wrobleski has continued to carve this season and recently earned a promotion to Triple-A. He could be an instant option for the Sox as soon as September and definitely heading into 2025.

Potential Trade Package: OF Josue De Paula (JB MLB No. 24), OF Zyhir Hope (JB MLB No. 86), LHP Justin Wrobleski (JB Dodgers No. 10), INF Alexander Albertus

This deal is a blend of some of the previous ones with one clear headliner and a few other assets that have a mix of upside and ability to contribute soon. Alexander Albertus would be the sweetener as a young infielder who dominated Rookie Ball and has strong approach and contact skills for his age.

The Dodgers have one of the best systems in baseball, per usual, but figuring out the specifics of this deal is a tad tricky. They buy every year and Crochet is quickly becoming the best pitcher on the entire market. Never count Los Angeles out of these blockbuster deals.

Milwaukee Brewers

A sneaky contender this year, the Milwaukee Brewers should absolutely buy at the deadline given their successful season, but we all know that my not happen.

Milwaukee currently leads the NL Central by six games, as they have for quite some time now. While the rest of the division has been fairly close, they have been in control most of the year, despite trading ace Corbin Burnes before the season.

They have gotten a ton of production from fairly unexpected sources and look like they can continue to control their own fate. However, they have the depth to cash in some assets in exchange for another starter that can take them to the next level. It feels more likely they’ll target a mid-tier arm like Erick Fedde, but Crochet would be the dream acquisition for them.

They have a range of prospects of interest, but I have a feeling that this would be more of the depth package than the star headliner type like the Orioles or Dodgers proposed deals.

Top prospect Jacob Misiorowski could be of interest, but I don’t think the Brewers want to move him. Also, like I’ve mentioned, Chicago will prioritize hitters. Tyler Black has been exceptional in Triple-A but has still not been able to get consistent at-bats at the MLB level. He seems like a very obvious trade candidate and would instantly get everyday reps in Chicago.

The rest of the system features plenty of high-upside young hitters that could fit perfectly for the White Sox future direction. Luis Lara has struggled a bit this year at the plate in High-A, but is still just 19 years old and has exceptional speed and bat-to-ball skills with room to add more impact.

Yophery Rodriguez has ample upside and has shown much better ability to hit at his age than most do. He was incredible in the DSL last year and has made the jump straight to Single-A this season. He has mostly held his own aside from a high strikeout rate. He’s got the upside of a well-rounded everyday outfielder with a chance to stick in center like Lara.

That trio would be very enticing for Chicago, with one player who would instantly slot into the MLB infield mix and two very exciting young outfielders. It may take one more piece though without a true headliner in the deal. Cooper Pratt has excelled in his first professional season with great contact skills and speed already resulting in an .809 OPS.

Brock Wilken is another possibility to be included in this deal, but it feels a bit redundant to acquire both Wilken and Black in the same deal. Chicago may be better off sticking with the young international and high school prospects in addition to Black.

Potential Trade Package: INF Tyler Black (JB MLB No. 61), OF Luis Lara (JB MLB No. 91), OF Yophery Rodriguez (JB Brewers No. 5), SS Cooper Pratt (JB Brewers No. 9)

This deal almost feels like a bit too much for the Brewers to give up, but getting an ace without trading their top two prospects would be a dream. They get to hold onto a future starter and catcher while getting the best pitcher on the market.

The White Sox would get a wide range of profiles in this deal with three super young players to infuse depth into their system, while getting someone who will start for them over the next handful of years and potentially beyond.