Baltimore Orioles Urged To Pursue Chicago White Sox Ace Garrett Crochet

Should the Baltimore Orioles trade for Garrett Crochet?

Sep 20, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park. / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles had an early exit in the MLB Postseason, as they were swept by the Kansas City Royals in the Wild Card Round. 

While it was a successful season overall for the Orioles, they certainly wished that their postseason run would have lasted longer. However, this was a team that struggled down the stretch and dealt with a lot of injuries. 

Baltimore is known for their very talented lineup that is filled with young players. The farm system for the Orioles has been built up nicely in recent years, and those players are making an impact in the Majors for them. 

However, Baltimore also used these assets in a major trade last offseason that brought them back Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers. Burnes had an excellent season for the Orioles and deserved to win the playoff game that he started in the playoffs. 

Furthermore, the talented right-hander will be hitting free agency this season and his future with the club is up in the air. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about the Orioles pulling off another offseason trade for a pitcher, this time for Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox. 

“By making those 32 starts, though, he displayed enough durability for teams to be willing to put together a sizable trade package for him before perhaps also making that long-term extension happen. (The Baltimore Orioles still feel like the top candidate to trade for Crochet, especially if they end up failing to re-sign Corbin Burnes.)”

Crochet was a name frequently mentioned at the trade deadline this campaign, but the White Sox ultimately didn’t trade him. This winter, however, it seems like trading him will certainly be a possibility. 

Whether or not Baltimore signs Burnes, adding a pitcher like Crochet would give them a top-end of the rotation pitcher who could help take them to the next level. 

Pitching was certainly an issue for the Orioles in the second half of the season, and the organization should get aggressive if they sign Burnes to a big contract. Since Crochet will be under team control for a couple of more seasons, acquiring him wouldn’t cost them a ton of money, but would require significant assets. 

Even though it didn’t end the way they wanted it to, they still have years of potential in their lineup and especially if they bring back Burnes. Regardless of the contract situation for their ace, going after Crochet makes a lot of sense.