3 potential trade offers the Chicago White Sox could get from the New York Yankees for All-Star Garrett Crochet
The Yankees are solid match for a trade, but some who follow the Yankees are not sure the team will give up the haul the Sox want.
The trade rumors surrounding Chicago White Sox All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet continue. A majority of them have the New York Yankees interested in acquiring him.
Crochet's trade market is going to be interesting as USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports Crochet is the best pitcher available but has the most questions surrounding him. This is his first year as a starter and his first full season after Tommy John surgery wiped out all of his 2022 season and most of his 2023 campaign.
He will have an innings limit in the second half. So that means a team is going to have pay a king's ransom for an All-Star pitcher that will probably be used as a high-leverage reliever down the stretch and into October.
While he does have two more years of club control, the present will dictate him not logging a lot of innings in September if the team wants to preserve his arm and use him as a starter in the playoffs. Not exactly the ideal situation a team in a tight playoff race would want for an ace pitcher.
However, unless the Detroit Tigers trade Tarik Skubal, Crochet is the best starting pitcher the trade market has to offer.
General manager Chris Getz must value Crochet highly even if there are questions about what he can do now.
First, it is because he is the best pitcher on the market and that usually means a team gets four premium prospects like with how the Houston Astros gave up four prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019 for Zack Greinke. The Seattle Mariners also traded four premium prospects to the Cincinnati Reds for Luis Castillo in 2022.
Second, he is a player the White Sox drafted and developed into an All-Star pitcher. The main reason the Sox want to deal him is by the time they are competitive, he will likely be hitting free agency and the club has made it clear they are not interested in paying his price to keep him long-term. Trading him away because of penny-pinching is not going to sit well with an apathetic fan base.
Getting a great return is the only way to keep that weary fans from completely abandoning the team forever.
Finally, he is the one asset the team can move to get a foundational impact bat the franchise must acquire if they hope to turn things around. That is why it is reported the Sox have rejected offers from the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles, and the Yankees
The Yankees need starting pitching if they want to catch the Baltimore Orioles in the standings and hold off the Boston Red Sox. The key is seeing if they are the best trade partner to give the Sox what they need to get back to being competitive by 2026.
Here are what three trade packages the Yankees could offer the Sox to get them to move their ace...
Updated Crochet Trade Package 1
This is a mix of the Greinke deal where the Diamondbacks were able to land Houston's No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, and No. 22 prospects with the Reds getting what turned out to be their top prospect, No. 6, No. 15, and another prospect from the Mariners.
The Yankees are reported to be willing to part with their second-best prospect Spencer Jones, but he will be part of another trade package discussed later.
For the sake of this exercise, this is the Sox getting the Yankees' No. 3 prospect in Hampton, No. 4 prospect in Arias along with the No. 15 and No. 22 prospects in Vivas and Vrieling.
It's not exactly a thrilling package considering the Sox have plenty of pitching. Hampton fits the same type of prospect profile that the team currently has in Drew Thorpe. The only difference is Hampton does not have a devastating changeup.
He does have good spin rates on his pitches and is the No. 81 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. An injury just now has him pitching again this season. He did strike out 145 hitters between High-A and Double-A last season.
Arias is 19 with the potential to be a consistent 30-30 guy. He is struggling right now at Low-A ball with a .224/.325/.360 slash line and has 127 strikeouts. He must learn some plate discipline but he did have a .505 slugging percentage last year in the Florida Complex League.
Vivas is an on-base machine with a .394 percentage at Triple-A. He also has some pop in his bat although his not the fastest guy on the basepath nor does he have a rifle arm in the field.
Vrieling has a high ERA at Double-A right now, but his curve and slider are considered plus pitches.
Todd Crochet Piece Adam Weinrib
This one comes from Yanks Go Yard site expert and co-host of the Baseball Insiders podcast, Adam Weinrib. The feeling in New York is that if Crochet is going to be a reliever now and then a starter for two more seasons, giving up four prospects might be too much.
That does not mean Crochet is not worth two top prospects according to my conversations with Adam.
He is willing to part with Hampton and the Yankees' second-best prospect, Spencer Jones. For a while, Jones seemed like a sacred cow, but it sounds like the Yanks are willing to part with him.
Jones is the 73rd-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He is a huge, left-handed hitter. He is having a down year at Double-A with a .238 average and a .716 OPS. He has already struck out a 129 times.
He still has immense potential and has tremendous power.
Mayea is the Yankees' ninth-ranked prospect. He is a raw 18-year-old hitter who is being compared to Gary Sheffield. He would not provide immediate help, but he has a high ceiling and the Sox could some more prospects like that.
Todd Crochet Piece Brian McKeon
This offer comes on the recommendation of Locked On Yankees co-host Brian McKeon.
Rice might be the Yankees 12th-rated prospect but he has gotten to the big leagues and has hit in the minors.
McKeon did not want to give up Jones for Crochet's services. So getting a player who can help right away and Hampton would be the trade off. The Sox would still get the potential Arias.
Then McKeon was willing to throw in a prospect with high upside but lower ranked. Lara is 18 with a ton of upside so he would fit that throw in/scratch-off lottery ticket prospect.
Looking at these three packages, the Yankees are a solid match. However, the Baltimore Orioles or Los Angeles Dodgers might be able to provide some impact bats that fit the Sox needs.
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