White Sox 'Intend To Trade' 25-Year-Old Ace; Red Sox Could Make Blockbuster Move

The southpaw is drawing ton of interest

Scott Neville | Jul 1, 2024

Mar 28, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) delivers a pitch during the first inning of the Opening Day game against the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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Would the Boston Red Sox make a blockbuster move at the July 30 trade deadline after years of conservative decision-making?

The Chicago White Sox reportedly have ignited a mega-sweepstakes for one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball who has the whole package -- peak performance, youth and team control. As expected, there is league-wide interest in the rising star.

"The Chicago White Sox quietly engaged in brief contract extension talks with ace Garrett Crochet, but with no optimism towards reaching an agreement, the White Sox intend to trade him by the July 30 trade deadline," USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday.

"The White Sox have had 15 teams calling to express interest in Crochet, who is making just $800,000 and is under team control through 2026. The X-factor for suitors will be determining just how much Crochet can help them in the pennant stretch and October.

"He has already pitched (101 1/3) innings as a first-year starter, (28) more than his entire career total entering the season, and the White Sox and Crochet already have a firm plan in place to greatly limit his workload in the second half.

"It’s quite possible that a team acquiring Crochet may have to offer a contract extension for him to lift those innings restrictions in the second half because of the potential of an injury risk."

Crochet wrapped up another stellar performance Sunday to further bolster his breakout campaign. The southpaw has a 3.02 ERA with a 141-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .198 batting average against and a 0.93 WHIP in 101 1/3 innings across 18 starts.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been vocal about not throwing away future wins for current wins. Crochet would almost certainly cost one of the big three prospects -- Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel -- and more but he'd be under Boston's control for two more seasons after 2024 and instantly become a core member of the roster.

Breslow reportedly is targeting left-handed starting pitching this summer -- Crochet is by far the top option in that category.

A mega-trade from the first-time leader of baseball operations appears to be a pipe dream at this juncture but the White Sox's willingness to deal their young ace is worth noting. The innings limit would be a problem for all contenders but at least Boston has been planning a multi-year retooling for years and appears to be a star or two away from serious contention.

The odds of Crochet landing in Boston are incredibly low but they likely are one of the 15 reported teams that have inquired to at least get a ballpark price for one of the best young hurlers in baseball. After missing out on 25-year-old ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason, Breslow could get a second chance this summer.

As manager Alex Cora would say, it's time to get greedy.

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Published Jul 1, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu