As the final hours of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline tick away, Garrett Crochet remains on the White Sox. The hard-throwing left-hander is viewed by many as the most valuable commodity available in a trade market with very few sellers and plenty of buyers. However, the White Sox once grand trade deadline plans took a massive hit when Crochet’s camp leaked that he would not pitch in the postseason unless he received a contract extension.
The 25-year-old fears that if he is traded he may be asked to come out of the bullpen and be forced to pitch with max effort every other day, or have to pitch deep into the postseason as a starter, further risking another injury. This hurt general manager Chris Getz’s feelings. Getz met the media on Monday and voiced his displeasure with how Crochet and his camp handled things.
“The communication had been very strong between Garrett and I and his agency,” Getz said. “I was a little surprised and taken aback by how they went about it, considering I had a conversation with his agent the night before. That’s not exactly the tactic I would have taken, being a former player.”
Crochet missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, then was limited to just 13 games in 2023 after with left shoulder inflammation. He feels that a starter’s routine is best for his long-term health. The numbers back that up.
Crochet told the front office he wanted to be a starter over the offseason. Then earned the Opening Day nod after a stellar performance in Spring Training. In his first year in the White Sox starting rotation his numbers back that up. In his first 22 starts, he owns a 3.23 ERA, 3.9 WAR, and leads the American League with 160 strikeouts, despite being on an innings restriction. He was also the White Sox lone All-Star representative.
His performance this season has caught the attention of the rest of the league, as does his two-plus years of team control. The fact he is owed just $800,000 this season is an added bonus and Getz was ready to cash in.
While sabotaging the White Sox leverage may be frustrating, Crochet and his agent had every right to do what they did. The front office has a history of trading away quality pitchers before they have to pay them and Crochet was going to be the next in line.
With the White Sox, Crochet had a chance to develop as a starter and adjust his workload accordingly as the season went along. With a contending team, he won’t have that luxury. Initially, the White Sox were looking out for his long-term health. He is under team control until 2027 and figured to be a piece they could build around moving forward. However, after a report surfaced that the White Sox had made a failed attempt to extend him the focus shifted to trading him.
Now that Corchet’s value is at an all-time high he wants some insurance. He is set to hit arbitration in the offseason, but won’t get nearly what he is worth. By having to pitch in the postseason, after throwing the most innings he has in his professional career, he risks tanking his value with another arm injury. After all, he is already in unchartered waters with a career-high 114.1 innings pitched. It is easy to see where he is coming from.
In 1995 comedian Jerry Seinfeld opened an episode of Seinfeld with a bit comparing the loyalty a fan has to a team as “rooting for laundry.” The monologue goes on to say that essentially being a fan is cheering for your city’s clothes to beat the clothes from another city. His joke about hometown loyalty seems to be especially relevant in this situation.
After watching dozens of players leave the South Side because of a rebuild after rebuild in the “best interest of the team” with only one playoff series win since 2005 to show for it, it is time to side with the player. A player who has been one of the few things worth watching in this disaster of a 2024 season. A player who was a part of the playoff teams in 2020 and 2021. A player who was drafted by the organization and previously stated he wants to be here long-term. But because the organization doesn’t want to pony up the money and doesn’t think they can turn into a contender by the time his contract is up Getz wants you to believe Crochet is the bad guy. Don’t believe him.
