The Chicago White Sox aren't expected to be major players in the offseason free agent market coming off a record 121-loss season in 2024. Yet they will be one of the most important teams in baseball in reshaping the major league landscape.
That's because the White Sox have perhaps the best player being dangled in offseason trade talks in pitcher Garrett Crochet. They converted Crochet from a reliever to a starter last winter and saw immediate dividends. The left-hander posted a 3.58 ERA across 32 starts while striking out 209 batters in 146 innings — both career-highs.
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Crochet has only three years of service time at the major league level, meaning he cannot leave in free agency until 2027. The 6-foot-6 left-hander made his first AL All-Star team in July and could be viewed as a potential rotation ace for years to come.
In its annual survey of major league executives published this week, ESPN canvassed front offices to see where they believe Crochet will play next season. And one American League East team generated popular support.
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The White Sox "would rather put (Crochet) in the NL," one survey respondent told ESPN's Jesse Rogers. But if the White Sox deal Crochet within the American League, Rogers notes, the Baltimore Orioles are being seen as a strong fit.
Baltimore's Opening Day payroll hasn't ranked higher than 26th in MLB since Mike Elias took over the team's baseball operations department in 2019. Crochet's contract will be relatively affordable over his final years of team control.
While the Orioles might be reluctant to spend big again in free agency, they have plenty of prospect capital to entice the White Sox to include Crochet in a trade.
"Chicago wants hitters," one major league executive told Rogers. "Baltimore has them."
Crochet has been on the trade market before, but White Sox general manager Chris Getz was reportedly demanding a high asking price in prospect capital before the July 30 deadline.
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Injury risk is a concern with Crochet. Prior to 2024, he had not started since his sophomore season at the University of Tennessee. He never pitched more than 65 innings in a season before his 146-inning campaign in 2024. The effects of his dramatic workload ramp-up, if any, are yet to be seen.
But Crochet's upside potential is clear: among the 18 respondents to the ESPN survey, only one predicted he would not be traded this offseason.
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