Garrett Crochet trade rumors will dominate the Chicago White Sox offseason. That is especially the case since the team is sitting out free agency despite losing a record 121 games this season.
That makes dealing Crochet the only option the Sox have in acquiring young, impact bats as the franchise begins an epic rebuild.
Bats are what the Sox are reportedly targeting in return for their ace. You cannot blame the front office for coveting hitters, as the Southsiders had the worst offense this season and lack positional prospects who project to be impactful.
Since Crochet is projected to earn $2.9 million in arbitration this season with another year of being arbitration eligible in 2026, contenders are reportedly lining up to trade for the Sox Opening Day starter.
Some contenders match up well with general manager Chris Getz's desires to get young impact hitters while others do not.
That is why it is important to power rank the rumored interested parties. The consensus is the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Boston Red Sox are the teams coveting Crochet this offseason.
His meager earnings for next season also make him attractive to small-market clubs. That is why we are going with the teams ESPN's Buster Olney listed for this exercise.
Breaking down the best fits for a Garrett Crochet trade. https://t.co/RWtPJk7CNr
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 13, 2024
Then, let's take the average of the recent farm system rankings on Olney's list. MLB Pipeline, Bleacher Report, Fangraphs, and ESPN (subscription required to access link) are services that have updated their farm system rankings within the last four months, so that is what was used.
Next, a focus on how many prospects the team has in the top 100, along with how many of them are hitters was taken into account. Also examined were how many hitters those teams have in their top 10 individual prospects and being close to the big leagues (i.e., at Double-A or above). One thing Getz should prioritize is getting hitters that have either made or are nearing their big-league debuts.
Finally, some good old-fashioned context, like prior trade history Getz has had with those clubs, was also factored into the power rankings.