Braves Rumors: Sleeper trade target, Kyle Wright move clears path, back-breaking slumps

Braves Rumors: Garrett Crochet is a sleeper trade target to consider

There have been plenty of Braves trade targets already being floated out there, especially in the wake of the Max Fried and Kyle Wright injuries as Atlanta clearly needs big-time help to weather the storm in the early summer.

One of the easiest places to look is the Chicago White Sox, a struggling team with notoriously cheap ownership who could be trending toward a fire sale. They have a ton of enticing pitching talent, including potential aces like Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease, or even someone to just be a back-end rotation guy like Mike Clevinger.

There’s one sleeper target who is also on the White Sox roster that people need to consider, though: Garrett Crochet.

The fact of the matter is that general manager Alex Antopoulos has indicated that the Braves plan to ride this out and not make any trades right now. They will wait until Fried and, hopefully, Wright return, which means we should be looking further down the line for trade targets, which is where Crochet would fit perfectly to upgrade the bullpen.

Crochet was a first-round pick out of Tennessee in 2020 and made his debut at the end of that season. However, the high-octane hurler underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2022 and has been rehabbing his way back, most recently getting time in Triple-A, showing he’s getting closer.

In 54 appearances in 2021, though, Crochet was great for a 22-year-old with a 2.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 10.8 K/9 rate.

Assuming that the flamethrowing southpaw can return to that type of form after his surgery and subsequent rehab, he could be a valuable commodity for the Braves to target in a trade. He might be costly given his age and upside, but he’s the type of target that Anthopoulos loves with club control, the ability to extend early, and an immediate upgrade.

This is particularly pertinent given the struggles of A.J. Minter this season. If they continue, there is a need for another shutdown lefty in the bullpen, a role that Crochet could fill.

It might not truly address the Fried and Wright injuries, but that doesn’t appear to be the plan. So if we’re talking about White Sox that the Braves should be eyeing for a potential trade, it’s time that we start throwing Crochet’s name into the mix.