Power ranking teams reportedly interested in trading for Chicago White Sox All-Star Garrett Crochet
There are a lot of teams reportedly interested in trading for a left-handed pitcher the Sox drafted and developed.
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.
Getz's past trade history with Los Angeles is why the Dodgers are ranked last.
You would think the defending champions would be No. 1 as the Dodgers have the best average ranking of their farm system (MLB has their system fifth, Fangraphs puts them second, Bleacher Reports ranks them eighth, and ESPN lists them third).
They also have four prospects among MLB Pipelines Top 100, with three of them being position players.
They have seven hitters among their top 10 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. However, only two are at Double-A or above. The Dodgers could also dangle Andy Pages who had a solid first year in the big leagues.
What puts the Dodgers dead last in this power ranking is Los Angeles has already fleeced the Sox a bunch of times.
Yes, the fear of Dodgers team president Andrew Freidman Jedi-mind tricking Getz into another terrible return like what Chris got in the three-team deal at the trade deadline involving pitchers Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech is why LA is last.
The White Sox cannot walk away from trading a pitcher that they drafted and developed with another Miguel Vargas and two scratch-off prospects, including one who had a broken leg!
Plus, it was reported the Dodgers refused to throw in their top prospect, Dalton Rushing for Crochet at the trade deadline. It is doubtful Los Angeles would budge considering they just won a World Series by bullpening a few games during the playoffs.
Plus, it is getting tiring watching the White Sox make the Dodgers better through trades. The Sox sent starter Lance Lynn in 2023 which helped stabilize their rotation. Yes, Lynn was not good in the playoffs that season, but he also did help them get to the playoffs by pitching better in August and September.
The Sox got some promising pitchers in Jordan Leasure and Nick Nastrini, but the early returns on them in the big leagues is pitchers who struggle with their command.
You just get the feeling Freidman could swindle Getz yet again, and somehow, the White Sox return would be covering the costs of the cleanup from the Dodgers' next championship parade.
Boston is the best trade partner for the Sox in a Crochet deal.
The Red Sox are rumored to be willing to part with right fielder Wilyer Abreu to get Crochet.
According to @Sean_McAdam, Wilyer Abreu could be moved as part of a Garrett Crochet trade 👀 pic.twitter.com/2J6sFTmDEd
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 13, 2024
Ironically as it sounds, he is a bit on the older side of being young at 25, but he finished 2024 with 3.1 fWAR, 114 wRC+, .253/.322/.459 slash line in his first full season in the big leagues. That would be a major upgrade for the Sox lineup.
He is a left-handed bat who hit 15 home runs with a .326 BABIP. He catches practically everything hit to him, with 17 Defensive Runs Saved in right field and seven outs above average.
The White Sox have been trying to replace Jermaine Dye ever since he retired in 2009. Abreu would finally fix that 15-year hole in the lineup.
Also, the BoSox average farm ranking is sixth (MLB has them seventh, Fangraphs and Bleacher Report puts them third, and ESPN rates their system 10th). They have six players in the top 100, and all six of them are hitters. Their top 10 prospects include eight hitters with four of them near the big leagues.
While it is unlikely the Red Sox would trade their two top prospects, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, they could dangle Abreu, especially if they win the Juan Soto sweepstakes, and say, infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell or catcher Kyle Teel.
That would immediately inject young impact bats that can ensure the White Sox get back to being competitive by 2027.
Now, some might be afraid of doing business with Boston when it comes to trading another left-handed pitcher the Sox developed into an ace. The Chris Sale trade, in the long run, did not turn out to be as mutually beneficial as previously thought. Remember, Yoan Moncada and Kopech at least did help the Sox win the 2021 AL Central.
Plus, there was no way the White Sox would still have Sale on the team by now, as the team would have never extended him this long.
The Baltimore Orioles are the second-best match for the White Sox.
The Orioles have the next-best average farm system ranking after the Red Sox. Since some of their prospects have graduated to the big leagues, the opinions on their system vary. ESPN still has the Orioles as the No. 1 farm system. Bleacher Report has dropped them down to 23.
With Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline still having them in their top 10's, the average ranking of their system is eight.
They still have two prospects that would be great building blocks for the White Sox in catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo and infielder Coby Mayo. Both are considered top 15 prospects.
Plus, the Orioles do a great job of developing hitting. It is one reason the White Sox just hired Baltimore's former co-hitting coach, Ryan Fuller, to be in charge of the organization's hitting.
Baltimore also has seven hitters among their top 10 prospects, but only three who are close to making their big league debuts.
The Orioles were desperate for pitching last season and traded Joey Ortiz to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of the package to get Corbin Burnes. Ortiz had a solid season this year for the Crew. Now that Burnes might be leaving Baltimore in free agency, there is belief the Orioles will use the trade market to get Crochet.
The catch is the Orioles have yet to trade their stud hitters. Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser were never leveraged in trades because the Orioles value the cheap deals they are on and have used them to fill holes once a veteran departs in free agency.
The New York Mets can provide some bats in a deal, but just not at the same caliber that the Red Sox and Orioles can offer
The Mets could use a top of a rotation pitcher especially with some of their starters being on the free-agent market.
The Mets farm system rankings average is 13. They got five prospects in MLB Pipeline's top 100 with four of them being position players. Six hitters make up their top 10 with four of them close to a big-league debut.
They could also dangle former top prospect Brett Baty, who missed a ton of time with injuries. He still has a lot of talent that the Sox could see if he can realize on the Southside.
The Mets also have David Stearns running their front office. The last major move he made going into the second season of running the club, he fleeced the Miami Marlins for Christian Yelich when Stearns was running the Brewers.
You just fear Getz being on the phone with Stearns and getting talked into a lesser package because the Mets can afford to take on Andrew Benintendi's salary.
The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres have bats but most of them are in A-ball.
The Phillies could have reportedly had Crochet at the deadline had they been willing to part with pitcher Andrew Painter. The Phillies have eight hitters in their top 10 but only two are above Double-A.
The Sox would need more volume in a trade return to take on the high-ceiling, long-wait prospects for Crochet. The same can be said for the Padres, who pulled off a fair trade with the Sox for Dylan Cease before the season started.
You feel comfortable with Getz being on the phone and working out a deal with A.J. Preller since he already worked out a good deal for another Sox ace. The problem is the Padres bats are all at A-ball, so it would be another patient return if the White Sox traded with the Padres.
San Diego also had the worst farm system ranking average among all the teams on Olney's list.
The New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves round out the power rankings as their prospect pool is not deep.
If the Dodgers did not have a recent history of fleecing the White Sox, the Braves would be the worst possible trade partner among Olney's list.
The Braves have just two prospects in MLB Pipeline's top 100, and they are both pitchers. The Braves have just three hitters in their top 10 with one who has had a cup of coffee with the team already and another knocking on the big-league door.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. and Drake Baldwin are those two prospects who could help the White Sox lineup immediately. They might be just nothing more than replacement-level players. The White Sox must get back a potential four or better fWAR player out of any potential Crochet deal
In addition, the Braves have a history of ripping Getz off. It was nice that Getz was able to get five players for Aaron Bummer. All five were likely to get waived or outrighted off the 40-man roster. A big reason Atlanta made the deal was to open roster spots.
Michael Soroka could not stay healthy. Nicky Lopez has already been waived after playing solid defense, but no power at the plate. Braden Shewmake failed as the team's Opening Day utility man and was demoted to Triple-A where he was never heard from again. Jared Shuster was inconsistent in the bullpen.
Then the Braves front office complained that Getz was asking too much for Dylan Cease last offseason. With hardly any impact hitters and a farm system with an average ranking of 22, this would not be the ideal team to trade with.
The Yankees' average ranking was 21, with just one prospect in the top 100. Jasson Dominguez would be a huge get for the White Sox, but the American League champions might not be motivated to deal him if Soto leaves in free agency.
Spencer Jones is the Yankees second-best prospect. He has a ton of power, but his strikeouts and tumbling out of the top 100 rankings are a huge concern. The Yankees have three other hitters in their top 10, but two of them are nowhere close to being ready to contribute at the big-league level.
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