If Garrett Crochet was ever seriously on the radar of the Philadelphia Phillies, he probably isn’t anymore.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported Thursday on the stipulations Crochet has set if the Chicago White Sox trade him.
Crochet is a veteran of Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in April of 2022. The former first-round pick missed the entire 2022 season, and then made just 13 relief appearances at the MLB level in 2023, as he was limited by both the recovery from Tommy John and subsequent inflammation in his left shoulder.
As much as it may seem sacrilegious to talk about potentially sitting out the postseason, Crochet can’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season. He’s already had one major surgery, and it’s smart from a business perspective for him to want to have some financial security before he pushes himself much further than the 111 1/3 innings he’s thrown this season. He’s also signaling this before being traded, so any team that acquires him knows where he stands if they land him.
Crochet was a first-time All-Star this season, and has pitched at about as high a level as any starter in baseball. He leads the American League in strikeouts (157) and FIP (2.30), and all MLB starters in K/9 (12.7) and WAR (4.1).
With multiple years of control left before free agency, it’s understandable why the 25-year-old is arguably the most coveted starting pitcher leading up to the July 30 trade deadline. But that also gives him some leverage, which the CAA Sports client is making apparent he will use to his advantage.
MLB.com‘s Jon Morosi reported earlier this week that the Phillies were “looking for rotation upgrades,” pointing to Crochet and Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers as names they were interested in. But with the quartet of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez, it always felt pretty unlikely the Phillies would make a move for a starter of that level when there are more pressing needs in the outfield and the bullpen.
There had been some thought that Crochet — who has prior relief experience — could shift to the bullpen for the remainder of this season. In that case, he arguably would have made more sense for the Phillies. But it doesn’t sound like he’s interested in doing that.
