Following a historically-bad 2024 season, one would think that more changes would be in store for the Chicago White Sox. Perhaps, over the offseason, the White Sox will finally bite the bullet and pull the trigger on a Garrett Crochet trade, cashing in on his incredible 2024 campaign so they could add a few more blue-chip prospects to a fast-rising farm system.
Crochet drew plenty of interest on the trade market leading up to last season's deadline, but teams decided to hold off on a blockbuster deal for the White Sox starter amid concerns surrounding a potential extension as well as a potential innings limit. But with a new season on the way, teams are rekindling their interest in one of the best southpaw starting pitchers in the entire MLB.
Two of the teams that have reportedly been interested in a potential trade for Crochet are the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. These two teams were reportedly the most aggressive in showing interest in the 25-year-old lefty amid the GM meetings in which the White Sox starter stood out as the most sought-after already-employed player in baseball.
Crochet was one of the most electric pitchers in the MLB last season in his first campaign as a full-time starter. The workload concerns may be legitimate, as he pitched just 146.0 innings despite making a total of 32 starts (averaging just around four-and-a-half innings per start), but in a pitching landscape where teams value stuff, the White Sox starter has made a name for himself as someone who can blow hitters away with his nasty repertoire.
He struck out 209 batters last season, and at only 25 years old, there is no reason to not buy into the idea that he can keep up this level of play for the next few years. Crochet also has two more years of team control (including 2025), which adds even more as to why the Phillies and Dodgers are hot on the White Sox starter's tail.
Phillies and Dodgers look to stack as many elite starting pitchers as they can with Garrett Crochet trade pursuit
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It's not as if the Phillies and Dodgers are in dire need of Garrett Crochet's services. The Phillies, in particular, had arguably the best pitching staff in the majors last season, and it's not as if the Dodgers need another elite starting pitcher atop the rotation since they're just coming off a World Series breakthrough.
As MLB teams will forever preach, a team can never have enough quality pitching. The Phillies have an open spot in their starting rotation behind their core four of Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, and Aaron Nola, and not having Taijuan Walker start every four days anymore will be such a relief for their fanbase.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers may have the likes of Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone coming back from injury, not to mention Shohei Ohtani's eventual return to the mound, but after seeing how fast their pitching depth can be decimated by injuries, bringing Crochet in via trade would give them another level of insurance that's fitting for a reigning champion.
