The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly actively trying to acquire Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet via trade. Now that Blake Snell appears destined for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the bidding could get even more competitive for the 26-year-old southpaw.
Should president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski overwhelm Chicago to get a deal done before another executive swoops in?
Philadelphia's starting rotation is anchored by Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez are solid mid-rotation hurlers. However, the one weak link is veteran Taijuan Walker. His second season of a four-year, $72 million deal included a 7.10 ERA in 83 2/3 innings.
Replacing Walker with Crochet would be a huge upgrade. Crochet posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched in 2024 while being named an All-Star for the first time. With Snell likely off the market, teams looking for a left-handed starter – like the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees – can now focus on free agent Max Fried.
But as available southpaws find new homes for 2025, competition for Crochet will only get tougher. Should the Phillies make the White Sox an offer they can't refuse? FanSided's Chris Landers put together the following hypothetical swap:
- Phillies receive: left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet
- White Sox receive: third baseman Alec Bohm, outfielder Justin Crawford, shortstop Starlyn Caba and right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker
Including Walker in this deal would simply be a way to dump at least some of his salary. The rest of the package would be attractive, though. Despite his struggles in the postseason, Bohm was an All-Star in 2024 and drove in 97 runs across 606 plate appearances. MLB.com ranked Crawford (third) and Caba (fourth) among the Phillies' top five prospects.
Is this enough to get a deal done for two team-controlled years of Crochet? One would think so. However, Chicago general manager Chris Getz should be in no rush to make a deal. He waited until February last offseason to deal Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres in what was a similar situation. As teams potentially get more desperate for a productive left-handed starter, he might wait to see how good of a package he can get in a trade.
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