There will be a war over Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet prior to the July 30 MLB trade deadline, and one mock deal has him landing on the New York Mets.
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa crafted a package the Mets could offer the White Sox for their standout pitcher and proposed an interesting managerial move that could relegate Crochet to a different area of the franchise’s pitching staff in the back half of the year:
“We’re going to say the Mets will add Crochet, use him as a reliever the rest of 2024, then move him back into the rotation in 2025 (and also 2026). They’ll outbid the Astros, Dodgers, et al, with a package that includes former top prospect Brett Baty, righty Brandon Sproat, catcher Kevin Parada, plus other stuff. Crochet to the Mets at the deadline. It has been foretold.”
Mets: White Sox’s Garrett Crochet is a top-shelf trade asset on the block
The reason why Axisa rationalized moving Crochet to the bullpen is because of the amount of time he’s spent on the mound in 2024. Crochet leads the Major Leagues with 20 starts, which have amounted to 107.1 innings pitched. Seeing that he’s never thrown more than 54.1 innings in any of his prior four active seasons, his durability may come into question as the season draws on.
Crochet is delivering the goods for Chicago this year, though. He also leads the MLB with an astounding 150 strikeouts. The flamethrower’s 97 mph fastball velocity ranks in the 92nd percentile. Further, the 25-year-old makes opposing sluggers work for their opportunities at the plate. His 32.9 percent chase percentage ranks in the 88th percentile and he makes batters whiff 32.8 percent of the time.
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Crochet could give the Mets’ pitching a huge boost in any capacity
While the Mets’ bullpen could use a lift, Crochet could still continue to pitch at the rate he’s going. He has played in 20.4 percent of the White Sox’s 98 games on the campaign. Should that rate continue for their remaining 64 games, the Missouri native would be on pace to notch 13 more starts, bringing his innings count to 176.7 for the year. In 2023, there were 31 pitchers who threw 176.7 innings or more.
Nonetheless, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza would have the liberty to deploy Crochet as he sees fit. New York’s bullpen is a key area of focus for the team with 11 days to go before the trade market closes. Crochet could do work in the eighth and even ninth inning, but in all likelihood, he’d be better suited to carry the Mets’ starting pitching staff next to current ace Kodai Senga, giving them a two-headed monster just in time for the playoffs.
Plus, what they’d relinquish to get his services, headlined by Baty, who owns a .229 batting average on the season, would be more than worth it for the franchise.
