Philadelphia Phillies Reportedly Declined to Include Top Prospect in Trade Talks

The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly declined to include top prospect Andrew Painter in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently in the midst of one of the best seasons in the history of the franchise.

Entering Friday with a 94-65 record, only one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in MLB, the Phillies have already clinched a first-round bye and are looking to gain home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a strong final weekend of the regular season.

Then, on the exact opposite end of the spectrum, you have the Chicago White Sox, who are currently in the midst of what could go down as the worst season in the history of not only the franchise but also MLB as a whole.

Entering Friday with a 39-120 record, the White Sox need to win their final three games of the year to ensure that they do not break the record for most losses in a 162-game season in the Modern Era.

That would require Chicago to continue their current three-game win streak, pushing it to six games, something that they have not done all season.

These two teams have little in common but were connected in trade talks ahead of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline.

They did complete a trade that sent lefty reliever Tanner Banks to Philadelphia, with shortstop prospect William Bergola heading to the White Sox.

However, they were unable to come to an agreement on what would have been a much bigger trade, that would have seen the Phillies acquire a much more prominent lefty pitcher in Garrett Crochet.

The talks surrounding Crochet to Philadelphia reportedly came to an end with Chicago wanting top pitching prospect Andrew Painter in return.

"The Phillies turned down the White Sox's request," reports Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers in a recent article for ESPN, "for top pitching prospect Andrew Painter as part of the package."

Painter is recovering from Tommy John surgery and has not pitched in a game in 2024, but is expected to return to game action in time for Spring Training in 2025.

While Crochet would have made an immediate impact on the Phillies' rotation, pushing an abysmal Taijuan Walker to the bullpen much sooner, the club was more concerned with the long-term option that Painter provided them.

Just days before the Trade Deadline, it was reported that Crochet would only pitch in the postseason if he received an extension from the team that acquired him via trade.

That assuredly affected his value, specifically in Philadelphia's eyes, as they do not need to spend the money on another long-term rotation option with Painter waiting in the wings.

It would have also hamstrung the club in their off-season pursuit of the most coveted free agent, Juan Soto.

In the end, the Phillies made the right decision in not trading for Crochet at the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline.

While Philadelphia has continued to make its way toward the postseason and an opportunity at their first World Series Championship since 2008, Crochet and the White Sox have continued to make their way toward infamy and the worst record in the history of MLB.