A Padres-White Sox trade to acquire a co-ace for Dylan Cease
The San Diego Padres are going to be big time buyers at the trade deadline this season. They're still fighting for a playoff spot, but they have the talent to compete with the best teams in the league. Baseball Reference gives them over an 80 percent chance to make the postseason, putting them in prime position to be uber aggressive in the coming weeks.
The last time San Diego looked to upgrade their pitching rotation, they made a huge deal with the White Sox for their ace, Dylan Cease. Cease has since been incredible in a Padres uniform, sporting a FIP around 3.00 and 11.4 K/9.
San Diego could look to the same Chicago White Sox team to trade for their new ace ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.
A Padres-White Sox trade to add another White Sox ace to the San Diego rotation
Of course, the Chicago ace I'm speaking of is the lefty Garrett Crochet. Crochet is almost a guarentee to be traded in the next month, despite having two more years of team control on his contract.
Crochet has been among the league's best starting arms this year, posting a 3.02 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 12.5 K/9 in just over 100 innings in his first year as a starter. The Padres could look to empty their farm even more to acquire such an incredible, controllable young pitcher.
Crochet Padres
The rumors that have emerged surrounding the Garrett Crochet trade offers is that team's aren't offering enough. Recently, the Dodgers made an offer that was quickly declined. For the Padres to land him, they would need to meet the White Sox asking price and offer more than any other team in the league.
The trade above is a good start.
There is no Crochet trade without Robby Snelling being sent to the White Sox. Snelling is the Padres second-ranked prospect and the 24th-ranked prospect in baseball. He's a true ace potential prospect that has all the tools an MLB team is looking for from the left side. He's struggled a bit in 2024, but his 2023 was so dominant (sub-2.00 ERA over 22 starts) that it's nothing to worry about.
After that, the trade is cloudy. A mix of high potential prospects like the one listed above could get the job done, but Chicago could also be looking for the young prospects like Victor Lizarraga and Lamar King Jr.
For the Padres, obviously it would hurt to deplete the farm even more than it already is, thanks to the Juan Soto trade, but this is a win now move as well as a win next year and the year after that. Crochet is one of the higher floor, higher ceiling trade pieces on the market. The Padres would be distraught if he lands in LA with the Dodgers. This is their chance to stop that from happening and add him to their own rotation in the process.
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