3 quick White Sox trades that replace Garrett Crochet in 2022
The Chicago White Sox bullpen was dealt a crushing blow on Friday. Rick Hahn announced that Garrett Crochet is likely to undergo Tommy John surgery ending his season before it even began. Crochet has proven to be one of the White Sox’s most effective relievers.
The hard-throwing left-hander burst onto the scene in 2020. After being selected 11th overall in the 2020 MLB draft, he was called up from the White Sox alternate training site a few weeks later despite never pitching in a minor league game. He made an immediate impact.
In five appearances, Crochet owned a perfect 0.00 ERA and trailed only Brusdar Graterol of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most pitches at 100 mph or above.
In his first full season, he continued to impress. Crochet posted a 2.82 ERA and struck out hitters at an effective 10.8 K/9 rate. What made Crochet so valuable was his versatility out of the bullpen.
The Chicago White Sox could use some extra help in their bullpen now.
Tony La Russa used him in high leverage situations as a middle reliever, a lefty specialist, a long reliever, and a setup man. In 2022, Crochet was set to take on Micheal Kopech’s role as a reliever/ spot starter. The White Sox see Crochet as a starter long-term so 2022 is figured to be a big year for his development.
The only silver lining is that if he undergoes surgery now he should be able to return in time for the 2023 season.
But with his absence, the White Sox bullpen suddenly becomes a lot less dangerous. Interim options to replace him include Bennett Sousa, Anderson Severino, Kyle Crick Ryan Burr, and Matt Foster.
None of them inspire a ton of confidence. There are other good options available if Rick Hahn decides to make a move. Here are three players that the White Sox could add to replace Garrett Crochet:
Cole Sulser
The Chicago White Sox could look towards the Baltimore Orioles for bullpen help.
Outside Trey Mancini’s return to baseball, there were very few bright spots from the Baltimore Orioles’ 2021 season. One of them happened to be a 31-year old right-handed reliever named Cole Sulser.
Sulser was the Orioles’ best reliever last season and it wasn’t particularly close. His numbers were very similar to Crochet’s last year.
He posted an excellent 2.70 ERA and averaged 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 60 appearances. He won five games and had 73 strikeouts. Sulser’s specialty is left-handed hitters. Lefties hit just .143 with a .464 OPS against him.
He also showed a knack for high leverage situations. He locked down eight saves to go along with six holds. Sulser gets a lot of outs via the ground ball, which would play well in a hitter-friendly park like Guaranteed Rate Field. His 1.12 WHIP doesn’t hurt either.
Sulser came out of nowhere for Baltimore. In 2020, he owned a 5.56 ERA. During his rookie year in 2019, he only pitched 7.1 innings.
Sulser is inexpensive with three more years of team control. The Orioles are still in a rebuild and have no need for a middle-age reliever who doesn’t figure to be a part of their future so Sulser should be one of the first names on their trading block.
Lou Trivino
The Oakland A’s could have an option for the Chicago White Sox to consider.
It’s no secret that the Oakland Athletics are in the midst of a fire sale. They have already traded away Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Chris Bassitt, and Sean Manena. Frankie Montas is believed to be the next to go.
The White Sox should try and make a run for at least one starter. However, if Rick Hahn feels the starting rotation is set, the Athletics have a great late-inning option in Lou Trivino who won’t do them much good in 2022.
Lou Trivino has been effective out of the bullpen ever since entering the league in 2018. He is also used to being a setup man for Liam Hendriks so the fit would be perfect. In his rookie season, he appeared in 69 games and had a 2.92 ERA in 74 innings pitched. He also picked up 23 holds and four saves.
He had a shaky season in 2019 but still managed to get 17 holds. Trivino bounced back nicely in 2020. The 11th overall pick from the 2013 Draft held opponents to a .193 batting average. Last season, he served as Oakland’s primary closer. He did a solid job. Trivino had a 3.18 ERA and recorded eight holds and 22 saves.
He would give the White Sox yet another late-inning option out of the bullpen. Unlike Craig Kimbrel, he is used to being a setup man so the transition back to the seventh and eighth inning would be a lot easier for him.
He could be a name to watch around the trade deadline, especially if the White Sox feel the bullpen needs to make up for Crochet’s absence.
Chris Stratton
The Chicago White Sox could really use Chris Stratton in their bullpen now.
Another rebuilding team the White Sox could try and poach a pitcher from is the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have been having a yard sale for the past couple of seasons.
After making the playoffs in 2015, they have traded away Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Charlie Morton, Tyler Glasnow, Neil Walker, Mark Melancon, Francisco Liriano, Daniel Hudson, Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove, Jameson Taillon, and Adam Frazier.
All talent has been sold off and the roster reduced to scraps. Chris Stratton is a solid reliever on the Pirates that could be a great addition to the White Sox bullpen. He was a starting pitcher for his first three years in the league. In 2016, he had a 3.60 ERA in seven starts with the Giants.
The following season, he had a 3.68 ERA in 10 starts. He started 26 games in 2018 but his ERA imploded to 5.09. The following season, the Angeles decided to move him to the bullpen.
Since coming to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 2019 season, the right-hander has quietly been an effective weapon out of the Pirates bullpen. Stratton has had a sub-four ERA in each of the last three seasons there.
In 2021, he posted a 3.63 ERA in 79.1 innings. He also logged eight saves. The previous year he owned a 3.90 mark and opponents hit just .224 off of him.
Stratton is 31-years old with two years of team control. A cellar dweller like the Pirates has no need for his services since he is not viewed as a key piece. He also won’t be too expensive to trade for since he is a middle reliever.
He can also fill Crochet’s role as a spot starter with his experience in the Giant’s starting rotation or eat up innings as a long reliever. Like Crochet, he is versatile.
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