White Sox star, three other All-Star relievers who may help Yankees, Mets for stretch run

ARLINGTON, Texas — If the Yankees and Mets are contenders — and through the first half of the season, despite the Yankees slowing late and the Mets slowing early , both have played like contenders — then several All-Star relievers are open to joining them.

A common need for both New York clubs — and another dozen or so teams around the league — is in the bullpen, where the Yankees could use more swing-and-miss and the Mets could add any arm (and especially a lefty) capable of getting outs.

By FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement estimation, the Yankees’ pen ranked 17th (and has trended far worse in the past month) during the first half, while the Mets’ was 21st.

There will be significant competition for reliable eighth- and ninth-inning arms, but the Yankees and Mets figure to be monitoring the top names on the market.

So will White Sox standout Garrett Crochet.

“I see it. I hear it. I watch TV,” the All-Star lefty said this week. “I definitely see that sort of thing. But at the end of the day, it’s really flattering. It’s just a compliment to the work that I’ve put in up to this point.”

Crochet is in the White Sox rotation but could be seen as an often unhittable bullpen arm.

In 20 starts, the 25-year-old has pitched to a 3.02 ERA with a majors-best 150 strikeouts in 107 ¹/₃ innings.

But this is the first time he has exceeded 100 innings in his career, including collegiately.

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The 2020 first-round pick was brought right to the majors that year as a reliever, was a bullpen weapon in 2021 and required Tommy John surgery in 2022. In his first full season back, he has been a revelation.

He said he’s “in a pretty good spot” physically, but a team that trades for him might choose to manage his innings out of the pen.

And if a team offers the MLB-worst White Sox enough to pry away Crochet, he would want to go to a contender.

“I think that anybody would want to go to the World Series,” Crochet said.

Among the available All-Stars who could come out of the bullpen, Crochet might fetch the biggest price. But there are others who could tempt the Yankees and Mets:

The flame-throwing phenom, who has struck out 70 in 39 ²/₃ dominant innings with Oakland, could be one of the prizes of the deadline if the A’s decide he is better cashed in than kept.

The righty’s four-seam fastball averages — averages — 100.9 mph. He isn’t even arbitration eligible until before the 2027 season.

He could be a long-term piece of the A’s — or whatever team blows Oakland away in a trade.

The A’s are known for many things, including attempting to maximize players’ value before trading them.

There is always the unknown with a pitcher’s arm and particularly an arm as powerful as Miller’s.

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For his part, Miller also said he was flattered by interest around the league but believes he will stay with the A’s.

“I don’t anticipate me really heading out this year,” Miller said. “The value I’m bringing right now to the team, I think they want to hold on to that, and I’m happy to be a part of that group.”

But if he does get shipped out, the Waynesburg (Pa.) University, Gardner-Webb and A’s product, who has not tasted a big market, “wouldn’t shy away” from a major city, he said.

Wherever he is, he just wants to win.

“Every player’s goal is to win a World Series,” Miller said. “And whatever group you’re a part of, that is the goal. … For certain groups that’s more attainable.”

The southpaw would make sense especially for the Mets, who have long needed a replacement for Brooks Raley.

After the Mets emerged as sellers and dealt David Robertson to Miami last season, the two teams could strike the same kind of swap with their roles reversed.

The 29-year-old Scott is an eight-year veteran, a longtime effective reliever and a first-time All-Star.

With a fading Marlins club, he has saved 14 games and pitched to a 1.34 ERA.

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There is little reason for the Marlins, who are paying him $5.7 million this season, to keep the free agent to-be around.

Scott understands the situation but said he doesn’t pay attention to the rumors, even if his wife and family might bring them to his attention.

“Where my feet are, that’s where I’m at,” said Scott, who also added that he just wants to be in contention for a title. “Going to the World Series is always every baseball player’s goal, wherever I am.”

If the Yankees bring in Yates, it would mean a reunion with a righty who appeared in 41 games and posted a 5.23 ERA in 2016 in pinstripes.

But on the mound, at least, Yates is unrecognizable from the pitcher he used to be.

“Extremely different,” said Yates, a 37-year-old in his 10th big-league season. “I don’t really even throw a slider anymore. That was my out pitch in New York.”

Yates credits the Yankees clubhouse in general and CC Sabathia in particular for teaching him the day-to-day routines that helped him “change everything” in the following offseason.

Among those changes was discovering a splitter that has become his best pitch and given him another baseball life.

This year, Yates — who is making $4.5 million and will be a free agent at season’s end — has saved 16 games and pitched to a 1.05 ERA with the Rangers, who are four games under .500 and five games back in the AL West.

Absent a hot streak, the reigning champions could become sellers.

Yates won’t be paying attention to the possibilities of whether he could end up with the Yankees or Mets, but he is glad he played for the Yankees once at least.

“It’s a pretty cool feeling telling people you got to play for the New York Yankees for a year,” Yates said. “It’s definitely a unique, special place. I think everybody that’s played there will tell you that.”

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