Philadelphia Phillies dream rotation if they're finally able to land Garrett Crochet

The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to hunt big game this winter, even if Juan Soto is off the table. From Alex Bregman and Willy Adames speculation, to a potential marquee addition to the pitching staff, Dave Dombrowski has ambitious plans in mind. The Phillies' core is getting up there in age, so the World Series window is closing. It's time to maximize what remains of Bryce Harper's prime.

Of all the rumored targets in Philadelphia, few stand out more than Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. Not only are Phillies are loaded on the pitching front, home to arguably the best rotation in the National League, but a trade for Crochet essentially comes with a mandate to extend his contract. This isn't acquiring a 25-year-old with multiple years of team control; it's landing a young ace and paying him accordingly.

That said, Crochet made an impression on prospective suitors last season. He began the campaign with durability and injury concerns, but Crochet made 32 starts and notched 146 innings of work for Chicago, posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 209 strikeouts. If it weren't for the White Sox' historically bad record, we would've been talking about Crochet's special performance a lot more.

The hard-throwing southpaw is the perfect addition to a team that needs to replace Taijuan Walker with a real MLB pitcher. Let's dare to dream and put together the ideal Phillies 2025 rotation.

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Dream 2025 Phillies rotation features Garrett Crochet and Roki Sasaki

The Phillies won't get Crochet for cheap — neither financially nor in terms of trade capital. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Philadelphia offered Alec Bohm and Justin Crawford, a top positional prospect, but were flatly rejected. That's a compelling proposal, as Bohm was an All-Star in 2024. So this will take some commitment from Dave Dombrowski and the front office.

That said, the prospect of adding another bonafide ace behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola is worth it — especially one with Crochet's potential for longevity and growth over time. Factor in the hypothetical addition of top international free agent Roki Sasaki, and the Phillies are cooking with gasoline.

Sasaki is widely viewed as the best pitching prospect in baseball. The 23-year-old Japanese fireballer could be limited in terms of his workload as a rookie, but his stuff is elite and he should make an immediate impact. Why replace Taijuan Walker with one ace when two are on the table?

We know the Phillies want to expand their scouting footprint in Asia, as evidenced by a hard-fought pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter. Sasaki is more attainable, especially with the even financial playing field. Since he will be signed as a prospect, Sasaki will receive essentially the same offer from every team. He won't break the bank, which means there's no excuse for Philadelphia not to make a hard push — even if Crochet comes on board.

Sasaki and Crochet could serve as the heirs apparent to Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola atop the Phillies rotation. Philadelphia gets two immediate impact starters in their mid-20s, with the potential to anchor the pitching staff for the next decade. Wheeler and Nola aren't going anywhere any time soon, but both are on the wrong side of 30. At some point Philadelphia will need to think about the future. Crochet and Sasaki can address those concerns now.

This is the absolute perfect outcome for the Phillies pitching staff. And, the best part is... it's totally within reach.