Yankees Competing With Mets on Trade Market For Top Starter

The New York Yankees are among the teams aggressively pursuing one of the top starting pitchers on the trade market, according to The Athletic.

Jun 1, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

DALLAS - Here we go again.

The New York Yankees just lost the bidding war with the cross-town rival New York Mets for superstar outfielder Juan Soto.

Now, it appears they are going to be battling it out for the services of Chicago White Sox All-Star starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, who is on the trading block.

As Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported on Monday night, the Yankees and Mets are currently the "most aggressive suitors" for Crochet. Per The Athletic, no deal is believed to be close, but the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies are also interested.

Crochet is still just 25-years-old and is under cheap team control for the next two seasons. The left-hander was one of the hottest names at last summer's trade deadline, but ultimately stayed put after rumors came out that he was seeking a contract extension before agreeing to pitch in the postseason for a new team.

Per Rosenthal and Sammon, the White Sox are in search of major league-ready hitters, specifically up the middle at shortstop, second base and center field. For that, the Mets appear to have a leg up on the Yankees given their plethora of top position player prospects.

The Mets currently have the likes of Luisangel Acuna, Jett Williams, Brett Baty and Drew Gilbert in their farm system to potentially offer in exchange for Crochet. Meanwhile, the Yankees' best position player prospect is Jasson Dominguez, who projects to start in center field for the big-league club in 2025 after the departure of Soto.

The Yankees could potentially offer top prospect outfielder Spencer Jones and/or infield prospect George Lombard Jr. However, there is some question regarding this duo as they have both had their struggles in the minors.

ESPN's Buster Olney also reported on Monday that while the Yankees and White Sox discussed a trade for Crochet at last season's deadline, Chicago wasn't too high on New York's position player prospect group.

The Yankees' rotation consists of ace Gerrit Cole, lefty Carlos Rodon, Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil, righty Clarke Schmidt, southpaw Nestor Cortes and veteran Marcus Stroman. That said, the addition of Crochet would be a major boost at a cheap cost for the Bronx Bombers.