The White Sox have been rumored to be shopping left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet for weeks, but a new report suggests that the front office does intend to trade him by the July 30th deadline.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale the White Sox “quietly engaged in brief contract extension talks” with Crochet. However, after failing to reach an agreement the team no longer feels optimistic they will be able to extend him. Nightengale reports that the Los Angeles Dodgers have “already made an offer to the White Sox for Crochet, but it was quickly rejected.” He added that the White Sox have “informed teams they are seeking young prospects with enormous upside.”
Crochet has quickly emerged as the ace of the team in his first year as a starter. He currently leads the American League in strikeouts, despite being on an innings restriction. Opponents expected batting average against him is just .190, which ranks in the top five percentile in the MLB. Crochet is under team control through 2026. He is arbitration-eligible over the next two seasons, but as he continues to improve any team that lands him should be getting a top-of-the-line starter for a reasonable price.
Usually, when leaks like this get out it’s because someone wants it to get out. Trade rumors surrounding Crochet have been swirling for several weeks but this is the first time any talk of an extension has been reported.
A leak of an extension may just be to appease fans. It is hard to justify moving a 25-year-old pitcher, under team control and has proven that he can be the ace of a pitching staff. Not to mention the fact he is one of the only few bright spots on a historically bad team. Crochet has stated that he wants to be one of the guys that helps turn the franchise around.
Jerry Reinsdorf has previously stated that the reason he hired Chris Getz to take over the general manager responsibilities instead of doing a full-blown job search with outside candidates, is because he wants to contend quickly. If the White Sox trade Crochet it signals that they don’t believe they can contend by 2027.
Trading Corchet should net the White Sox a good haul of prospects as Nightengale suggested. But as a GM you are banking on acquiring a player you hope can turn into a player of Crochet’s caliber. It is a way of taking the pressure off of the front office by extending the timeline it will take for them to contend.
While Crochet has been excellent as a starter it has been in a relatively small sample size. Locking him up long-term would come with some element of risk for a team not known for spending money. However, extending him early could also be the smart play considering his value will continue to rise if he keeps pitching like an ace.
