Executives from all 30 MLB teams descended on Las Vegas this week for the annual GM meetings, and the stakes for this year seemed a little bit higher. With a lockout coming in just three weeks, trade and free agent conversations are heating up at a faster rate than they normally would, and the rumor mill at the GM meetings has been more active than usual. One rumor coming out of Vegas Tuesday night surrounded Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews, the former second-overall pick. According to reports, Washington has received trade interest in Crews and fellow outfielder Daylen Lile, and seems open to the idea of moving Crews.
In possibly related news, White Sox GM Chris Getz indicated that the team is looking for a right-handed outfielder this offseason. The free agent market is thin on quality outfield options. Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki are two of the top hitters on the free agent market, but they’ll be in high demand and will likely land a big contract. It doesn’t seem like the White Sox will be spending big on an outfielder when they’ve already declared starting pitching their biggest need. The dropoff in talent after the top few names is large, so the team may need to get creative to fill the outfield void. Enter Dylan Crews.
Crews, 24, was in the conversation for the first overall pick in the 2023 draft and was ultimately chosen second behind his college teammate Paul Skenes. He moved quickly through the Nationals farm system, posting a .793 OPS and slugging 13 home runs in 100 games in 2024 and making his big league debut with 31 games in his first full season. Crews got off to a slow start, hitting just .218 with a .641 OPS in 2024. He got a bigger big league sample in 2025, playing 85 games, but still hit just .208 with a .632 OPS. 2026 was Crews’ biggest opportunity yet, and he still couldn’t put it all together, hitting .223 with 13 home runs and a .663 OPS in 109 games.
dylan. crews. 442 ft. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/JFxZzF3rvY
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 20, 2026
Dylan Crews both fits the White Sox needs and brings upside
A right-handed hitter who plays solid defense in both corners and runs well, Crews fits the right-handed profile the White Sox are looking for, and he did post a .796 OPS with six home runs in 69 games against left-handed pitching in 2026. His .600 OPS against righties was where his biggest struggles came, but at the very least, Crews is a solid platoon option against southpaws that still has potential to turn into a big league regular with a change of scenery. He’ll turn 25 in February and has all the physical tools to be the player Washington hoped he’d be when they took him second overall in the draft. The report indicated that the Nationals were less inclined to trade Lile than Crews, so it seems like it could be a definite option.
It’s not clear what the Nationals would look for in return. Washington’s lineup was excellent last season but they struggled with pitching. Perhaps a young pitching prospect that’s big league ready could be enough to entice Washington. Someone like Tanner McDougal for Crews could make some sense for both sides.
In terms of outfield options, if the White Sox aren’t going to swing big for Randy Arozarena or Seiya Suzuki, pursuing someone with upside like Dylan Crews could be the next best thing. It’s certainly a better strategy than adding another aging veteran like Randal Grichuk and hoping they catch lightning in a bottle again, or even bringing back Grichuk himself. Hopefully Chris Getz is willing to get creative and find the balance between future and present value in building the White Sox roster for 2027.
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