Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet was the most talked about player in MLB trade rumors in July. After weeks of teams widely expecting him to be moved, that all changed when news of his contract demands emerged. While the White Sox failed to trade him this summer, he might not be part of the organization for much longer.
Days ahead of the MLB trade deadline, reports surfaced that Crochet wanted a contract extension in order to pitch for a contender in the World Series. It had a catastrophic impact on his trade value, with the majority of teams balking at his demand for an extension just to pitch in the MLB playoffs .
- Garrett Crochet stats ( FanGraphs ): 3.19 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .203 batting average allowed, 33.9% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate, 27.6% K-BB rate in 118.1 innings pitched
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As soon as front offices became aware of the MLB news, Chicago’s hopes of trading Crochet were essentially erased. Fortunately, for a franchise in the early stages of a multi-year rebuild, there’s hope on the horizon for a blockbuster trade.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Crochet will “definitely be traded” this offseason. Chicago’s motivation stems from a belief that the All-Star pitcher’s trade value will be even higher this winter when more MLB teams pursue him and clubs are more willing to part with prospects and young major-league talent.
- Garrett Crochet contract ( Spotrac ): $800,000 salary in 2024, arbitration-eligible 2025-2026
The White Sox front office knew a trade this summer was complicated by Crochet’s workload as he passed his career-high in innings pitched back in June. With the 25-year-old now closing in on 120 innings pitched after throwing 12.2 innings in the majors last season, Chicago is planning to shut him down at some point in September.
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As long as he stays healthy, Crochet’s trade value shouldn’t take a hit and there will be more clubs aggressively pursuing him since the contract demands will no longer be as much of an issue. If Crochet is dealt this winter, it will also increase the likelihood of a Luis Robert trade at some point this offseason.
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