Orioles listed as favorites to land White Sox ace in blockbuster trade

The Baltimore Orioles are one elite piece away from being the best team in the American League, and they are intent on adding a stud starter before July 30.

Baltimore is reportedly conversing with the Detroit Tigers about Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal, but the Orioles were also listed on Monday as a likely destination for another ace: Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox.

The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Aaron Gleeman reported that Crochet is the second-best player in Major League Baseball among those expected to change teams this week.

“Garrett Crochet was an eye-opening pick to be the Opening Day starter for the White Sox, given that, well, he’d never started any major-league game before,” Britton and Gleeman said. “But in the months since, he’s emerged as one of the AL’s best left-handed pitchers and easily the best thing happening on the South Side of Chicago. Naturally, that makes him a prime candidate to be moved for a team with the worst record in baseball. … Potential landing spots: (Baltimore) Orioles, (Los Angeles) Dodgers, (and Milwaukee) Brewers.”

Will Baltimore’s general manager Mike Elias pull off a blockbuster deal for Crochet? Doing so would arguably make the Orioles the AL favorites to reach the World Series.

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