Garrett Crochet’s trade demands leave only one real suitor, per insider

Of all the pitchers available ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline, Garrett Crochet is probably the best. The fireball-throwing southpaw has been outright dominant for the Chicago White Sox, posting a 3.07 ERA and .970 WHIP through 111.1 innings and 21 starts. At 25, he still has a long runway ahead of him and multiple years of team control over his contract.

It's unsurprising that Chicago is asking for a lot. And, it's unsurprising that two top-shelf contenders in need of pitching are connected to the All-Star. The Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers were pegged as the top suitors for Crochet early in the process. Now, however, the burgeoning ace as thrown a bit of a curveball into negotiations.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Crochet has told teams he won't pitch in the playoffs unless he gets an extension. Still arbitration-eligible through the 2026 season, Crochet's contract is imminently affordable and largely out of his control. The news reportedly "stunned GMs around the game," and it completely changes the market for his services.

There is incredible value rooted in Crochet's team-friendly contract structure. When tied to a massive guaranteed extension, the idea of landing Crochet takes on more risk. A big-money extension would also drive down the value of return packages, and there's no incentive for Chicago to accept less than max value when Crochet is at the peak of his powers. The White Sox obviously don't need to worry about a postseason holdout, and Crochet can still net trade value in the offseason or at the next deadline.

This shocking development leaves only one real suitor for Crochet, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. I'll give you three guesses...

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

Dodgers emerge as obvious landing spot for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet

The Dodgers are "the team best positioned to do this," according to Sherman, due to their unique financial boldness and their relative shoo-in status for the playoffs. He cites their offseason trade for Tyler Glasnow, which coincided with a five-year extension for the oft-injured ace. Glasnow rewarded the Dodgers with his first All-Star campaign.

There isn't a single team less afraid of lofty payrolls or luxury taxes than the Dodgers. LA will, in time, hand $700 million to Shohei Ohtani and $325 million to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This is the team that dropped well north of $1 billion on free agents over the winter. What is another several million for an AL Cy Young candidate?

Crochet's unprecedented demands are rooted in health concerns. He underwent Tommy John surgery a couple years ago and he's currently at his career-high mark for innings pitched — by more than double his previous high of 54.1 innings, which he achieved as a reliever in 2021.

Not only will Crochet avoid starting games in the playoffs, but he doesn't want to return to the bullpen either. He views the routine of starting as his best path forward on the health front. So, essentially, any team hoping to land Crochet and plant him in their postseason rotation will need to extend him.

It's still worth it for a number of teams. If Crochet was a free agent right now, he'd probably get a healthy deal from a team hoping to start him in October. As the timeless adage goes — no risk, no reward. Any team banking on Crochet's overwhelming power will need to take a leap of faith and give him some well-earned security.

Odds are, if any team takes that leap of faith, it will be the Dodgers. Just imagine Crochet, Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw headlining the postseason rotation for a team with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman in the lineup. It's a disconcerting thought, unless you're a Dodgers fan.