White Sox SP Garrett Crochet's Top Landing Spots amid MLB Trade Rumors

The Chicago White Sox are on pace to set a modern MLB record with 121 losses, so there isn't much point in them deeming any of their players untouchable.

That includes center fielder Luis Robert Jr. and arguably the best trade chip they have in their possession: Garrett Crochet.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on June 4 that the White Sox are willing to move Crochet, with Jim Bowden of The Athletic writing on Tuesday that the hard-throwing left-hander is expected to be among the best starting pitchers traded before the July 30 deadline.

For his part, the 24-year-old would like to stay on the South Side. As he told the White Sox Talk Podcast, he loves "being with the team that drafted me." Indeed, he has only known the White Sox organization since they picked him at No. 11 overall in 2020.

Crochet's trade candidacy is nonetheless real enough to justify speculation about his best landing spots. As always, though, we must first assess his trade value.

As recently as a couple months ago, the notion of Crochet being perhaps the most desirable pitcher on the summer trading block would have strained belief.

He only returned from Tommy John surgery in May 2023, and he wasn't even able to stay injury-free. The rest of the way, he made only 13 appearances, all in relief, bringing his career total to 72. That was next to zero starts.

Nonetheless, the White Sox came into 2024 determined to transition Crochet into the rotation. And so far, it's been a smashing success.

Through 14 outings, he has logged 75.2 innings and racked up a 3.33 ERA. He leads the American League with 103 strikeouts and, crucially, has mostly been consistent in sustaining his 96.8 mph average fastball.

In addition to clear top-of-the-rotation ability, Crochet's youth, $800,000 salary and club control through 2026 only further elevate his trade value. Baseball Trade Values estimates his surplus value at $61.2 million, close to $20 million more than even Robert has.

If I'm White Sox general manager Chris Getz, I'm not moving Crochet unless I get at least two top-100 types back in a deal. And not back-end guys, either. We're talking proper blue chips.

Only so many teams can do such a deal, but they're out there. Here are 10 in particular who fit the bill, ranked in order of how much sense they make as a trading partner for the White Sox. Trade proposals have been included for the top five.

Note: All farm system and prospect rankings are courtesy of B/R's Joel Reuter, with rotation depth charts courtesy of RosterResource.

10. St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 31-34, 5th in NL Central

Current Rotation: RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Kyle Gibson, RHP Andre Pallante, RHP Miles Mikolas

Bowden wrote the Cardinals "plan on buying" this summer, and they're otherwise worth considering because their starting pitchers rank last in MLB in rWAR. But they're also in last place in the NL Central, so a big splash on Crochet is likely a reach.

9. Houston Astros

Record: 31-37, 3rd in AL West

Current Rotation: LHP Framber Valdez, RHP Hunter Brown, RHP Justin Verlander, RHP Spencer Arrighetti, RHP Ronel Blanco

With Cristian Javier and José Urquidy done for the year after Tommy John surgery, an already vulnerable Astros rotation is looking even worse off. But with only one top-100 prospect in their system, Houston doesn't exactly have the wares to deal for Crochet.

8. New York Yankees

Record: 48-21, 1st in AL East

Current Rotation: LHP Carlos Rodón, RHP Marcus Stroman, RHP Cody Poteet, LHP Nestor Cortes, RHP Luis Gil

Garrett and Gerrit? That has a nice ring to it, and pairing Gerrit Cole with Crochet would allow the Yankees to steel their rotation against regression from its AL-leading 2.78 ERA. But unless more hurlers join Clarke Schmidt on the IL, another starter isn't necessarily a priority.

7. Los Angeles Dodgers

Record: 42-26, 1st in NL West

Current Rotation: RHP Tyler Glasnow, LHP James Paxton, RHP Walker Buehler, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP Gavin Stone

The Dodgers could simply wait for Bobby Miller and Clayton Kershaw to get healthy, or they could go for broke and really solidify their rotation for October by dealing for Crochet. A fine idea, if I do say so myself, but the Dodgers need bats and relievers more.

6. Atlanta

Record: 35-29, 2nd in NL East

Current Rotation: RHP Reynaldo López, LHP Chris Sale, RHP Charlie Morton, RHP Hurston Waldrep, LHP Max Fried, RHP Spencer Schwellenbach

Atlanta's rotation has done a fine job of weathering Spencer Strider's season-ending elbow injury, but there remains the question of how much more there is to get from López, Sale and Morton. And yet, let's just say a replacement for Ronald Acuña Jr. is a greater need.

Record: 35-32, 3rd in AL East

Current Rotation: RHP Pablo López, RHP Joe Ryan, RHP Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Bailey Ober, RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Louie Varland

Starting pitching played a huge role in propelling the Twins to the AL Central title in 2023. Their guys led the Junior Circuit with a 3.82 ERA and all of MLB in strikeouts.

But in 2024, Sonny Gray is gone and things are generally running not as smoothly.

Ryan has done his bit and Woods Richardson is enjoying a post-hype breakout, but Minnesota's starters nonetheless bear a 4.52 ERA. They've also given up the most home runs (58) of any starting staff.

Adding Crochet would be a substantial upgrade just in the abstract, though his familiarity with the AL Central is also worth something. Notably, his only start against the Cleveland Guardians this year saw him strike out 11 in six scoreless innings.

Trade Proposal: Minnesota Twins get LHP Garrett Crochet; Chicago White Sox get SS Brooks Lee (Twins No. 2, MLB No. 24), OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Twins No. 3, MLB No. 33)

This deal would allow the Twins to keep their best prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins. Yet it's a hefty haul to send to anyone, much less a division rival. And despite Crochet's controllability, whether the Twins should aim so high while in third place is a fair question.

Record: 43-22, 1st in AL Central

Current Rotation: LHP Logan Allen, RHP Ben Lively, RHP Carlos Carrasco, RHP Triston McKenzie, RHP Tanner Bibee

Speaking of AL Central contenders whose rotations need help, the Guardians need Crochet even more than the Twins.

They're only looking for a "middle-of-the-rotation" starter, according to Bowden, but that brings us to a fun challenge: Try looking at Cleveland's rotation and identify who its ace is supposed to be.

It was Shane Bieber, of course, but he made only two starts before he had to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery. He's now powerless to help a group of starters that ranks 28th in rWAR and dead-last in fWAR.

The timing is also better for the Guardians than it is for the Twins, and not just because they're in first place.

Let's not forget the pressure on them to hold on to first place with Minnesota lingering and the Kansas City Royals only 4.5 games back.

Trade Proposal: Cleveland Guardians get LHP Garrett Crochet; Chicago White Sox get OF Chase DeLauter (Guardians No. 1, MLB No. 28), OF Jaison Chourio (Guardians No. 3, MLB No. 97)

Contrary to the Twins proposal, this deal would bring back a club's No. 1 prospect for Crochet. But said No. 1 prospect is also battling a bad toe, which is to say nothing of whether a young-talent-hoarding organization like Cleveland would take a chance like this.

Record: 44-22, 2nd in AL East

Current Rotation: RHP Corbin Burnes, RHP Albert Suárez, LHP Cade Povich, LHP Cole Irvin, RHP Kyle Bradish, RHP Grayson Rodriguez

When you look at what's on paper, it's hard to come away feeling like the Orioles need another starter.

Their guys have a 3.01 ERA and the most fWAR of any staff in the American League. Burnes, Irvin and Bradish have ERAs in the 2.00s, and Rodriguez isn't far off at 3.27.

Yet the Orioles have lost John Means for the year with Tommy John surgery, and there otherwise isn't much down side in them wondering if a little overkill is a good idea.

With their offense already stacked, it's pitching they need to close the gap between them and the Yankees. And with Burnes set for free agency this winter, the Orioles could look at Crochet as a sort of preemptive replacement.

Trade Proposal: Baltimore Orioles get LHP Garrett Crochet; Chicago White Sox get C Samuel Basallo (Orioles No. 3, MLB No. 13)

The sheer prospect depth the Orioles have is the other reason they're worth considering for Crochet, and this one-for-one deal would see them give up a guy who's blocked by Adley Rutschman anyway.

Unless, of course, they see Basallo's offensive profile as a better fit for first base. He boasts plus hit and power tools, so it may be in Baltimore's interest to pursue such an outcome.

Record: 39-28, 1st in NL Central

Current Rotation: RHP Freddy Peralta, RHP Bryse Wilson, RHP Colin Rea, RHP Tobias Myers

Meanwhile in the National League, the Brewers have their offense to thank for their rise to first place. Among NL teams, only the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have scored more.

It's telling, though, that Bowden outlined Milwaukee's trade-deadline priorities as "pitching, pitching and more pitching."

Their staff owns a solid 3.73 ERA, but it obscures how the rotation has been in survival mode. It's notably handled only 316.1 innings, the fewest of any starting staff in MLB.

Crochet is an obvious fit in this regard, though he could also solve another problem the Brewers have in their rotation. At 20.4 percent, their strikeout rate places ahead of only four other teams.

Trade Proposal: Milwaukee Brewers get LHP Garrett Crochet; Chicago White Sox get RHP Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers No. 1, MLB No. 18), C Jeferson Quero (Brewers No. 2, MLB No. 29), 3B Brock Wilken (Brewers No. 5, MLB No. 88)

Baseball Trade Values might be a little overzealous in rating this package as a merely "fair" trade, but the appeal for the White Sox would be obvious. Misiorowski's stuff gives him Crochet-like upside, and Quero is a future Gold Glover behind the plate.

As with the Guardians, though, it's fair to wonder if the Brewers would part with so much talent. They also run a tight financial ship, after all, and thus need as many young, cheap guys as they can muster.

Record: 36-35, 2nd in NL West

Current Rotation: RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Randy Vásquez, RHP Michael King, RHP Matt Waldron, RHP Adam Mazur

There's no need for speculation here. According to Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Padres have "strong interest" in Crochet.

This tracks, and not just because trades for Cease and Luis Arraez are merely the latest blockbusters on San Diego general manager A.J. Preller's record. The Padres just plain need starting pitching.

This wasn't supposed to be the case this year but, well, "wish in one hand," as they say. Padres starters have a modest 4.00 ERA, and Yu Darvish (groin strain) and Joe Musgrove (elbow inflammation) are both injured.

There's also the bigger picture to consider. The Padres likely won't catch the Dodgers in the NL West, but they know from 2022 that merely getting into the playoffs is what counts. And at this point, they're in too deep on contending to play it safe.

Trade Proposal: San Diego Padres get LHP Garrett Crochet; Chicago White Sox get LHP Robby Snelling (Padres No. 2, MLB No. 17), RHP Dylan Lesko (Padres No. 3, MLB No. 56), SS Leodalis De Vries (Padres No. 5)

The White Sox would probably love to get their hands on catcher Ethan Salas, who's ranked as MLB's No. 9 prospect. But any time you start talking top-10 prospects, you might as well be talking untouchable prospects.

Still, this proposal would be a solid one for the White Sox to consider. Even if neither Snelling nor Lesko is lighting it up in the minors, both have the goods to follow the Drew Thorpe model as pitching prospects who made out well after a trade from San Diego to Chicago.

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.