This emergency Phillies-White Sox trade would be the ultimate Juan Soto backup plan

The New York Mets may have just made themselves the favorites in the National League East after signing superstar Juan Soto to a record-breaking 15-year deal worth $765 million.

That leaves the Philadelphia Phillies scrambling for a response. The Phillies have long been connected to a few free agents as well as a few players on the trade block. The player they're linked to the closest is Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who would be expensive, but it's something the Phillies could afford.

Chicago also has an outfielder that could be of interest to the Phillies: Luis Robert Jr. The Phillies could try to kill two birds with one stone in a blockbuster deal for both White Sox trade candidates.

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This emergency Phillies-White Sox trade would keep Philadelphia atop the NL East

Here's what a deal could look like to send both Crochet and Robert to Philadelphia:

For the White Sox, this trade would center around the return of Alec Bohm and top-three prospect Justin Crawford. These two have been rumored to be a return for the White Sox in a deal with the Phillies, but the talks haven't gone anywhere yet. In this hypothetical, those two along with two other top-10 prospects are sent to the Windy City to net both star players.

Bohm is coming off an All-Star season where he slashed .280/.332/.448 with 15 home runs, 44 doubles and 97 RBIs. He would be a huge building block for the White Sox as they look to rebuild from rock bottom.

Crawford is one of the top prospects in baseball. He's a supreme talent who slashed .313/.360/.444 in the minor leagues last year. Mick Abel experienced a down year in 2024, but he also has a lot of talent. The right-handed pitcher was once viewed as a top-100 prospect in baseball. Devin Saltiban is another young infielder the White Sox could add to a farm system filled with pitching.

All in all, this is a deal the Phillies need to make in order to keep themselves atop the NL East. The Mets have already made a massive addition and there are surely more to come, but the Phillies can work to cancel out each improvement the Mets make by making moves of their own. Adding two young stars would be a great start to the offseason.