MLB Rumors: Cardinals complacency, Pirates fed up, Garrett Crochet tryout

October is right around the corner, which leaves MLB fanbases in two distinct buckets: those supremely confident in their chances to go the distance, and those dreading what may or may not happen this winter, when the dust settles and the 2025 arms race begins.

This upcoming offseason promises plenty of intrigue with big-ticket free agents like Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Roki Sasaki. Moreover, there could be foundational changes in the upper management sphere for a number of underperforming teams. Front office seats are red-hot these days.

The latest report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today features plenty of buzzy revelations. Here are the MLB rumors that most demand your attention.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

MLB Rumors: White Sox aren't inclined to shut down Garrett Crochet

Not much has gone right for the Chicago White Sox this season. Currently 78 games below .500, the Southsiders have been, without exaggeration, one of the worst teams in the history of Major League Baseball. That fandom has been subject to relentless misery and disappointment from the jump, with positives few and far between.

If there has been one semi-consistent source of joy, it is 25-year-old ace Garrett Crochet. The All-Star has put together his best season in spite of Chicago's collective failures. To date, he has a 3.83 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through 29 starts (134.0 innings) with 191 strikeouts, third-most in the American League behind Tarik Skubal and Cole Ragans.

There simply hasn't been a more dominant force on the White Sox roster. He has been held back by the White Sox's impotent offense, of course — he's 6-11 on the season despite elite stuff — but Crochet has successfully made his name at the MLB level. He overcame significant injury concerns to pitch a full season with a starter's workload. Crochet deserves a ton of credit. And, now, he is going to be a popular name in trade rumors all winter.

Crochet was heavily involved in trade negotiations leading up to the deadline, but his public-facing refusal to pitch in the playoffs without a contract extension dampened the marketplace. Now that Crochet is about to finish out the season on a high note, though, there should be renewed interest this winter. Even if trading for Crochet requires a new long-term contract, there is always a strong market for top-shelf pitching. Crochet, when he's healthy and available, ranks among the most potent starting arms in the MLB.

There may be an incentive for the White Sox to shut down Crochet to preserve his arm, but per Nightengale's report, that is not in the cards. Crochet will "pitch the rest of the season without being shut down." Assuming the worst-case scenario doesn't come to pass, that will further prove that Crochet has the durability and longevity that teams were skeptical of at the trade deadline.

MLB Rumors: Derek Shelton on Pirates hot seat more than GM Ben Cherington

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been on a prolonged downward spiral since the All-Star break, now nine games below .500 and dead last in the NL Central. What once felt like a promising breakthrough campaign powered by Paul Skenes and Jared Jones has turned sour, with Pittsburgh's offense proving too substantially bad to overcome.

There has been blame aplenty tossed around. Pittsburgh has developed a special knack for blowing close games, which is naturally pinned on manager Derek Shelton. For his part, though, Shelton has staunchly deflected blame, instead citing his players' inability to execute down the stretch and finish strong (I'll give ya one hint at who is responsible for developing those traits, Derek).

"My concern level is we've got to finish games," Shelton told reporters after blowing a seven-run lead against the Chicago Cubs last month. "We look at the games at the games we've lost in August. It's because we have not finished games. I mean, how many of these games have we had the lead? How many of these games have we been one strike away? One pitch away? So yeah, we've got to figure out how to finish games."

Apparently that little magic trick did not work on upper management. According to Nightengale's report, the Pirates are "more likely" to make a change with Shelton or his coaching staff than with GM Ben Cherington, who appears immune from the looming organizational overhaul.

Shelton has, frankly, earned his ticket out the door. He probably gets another job and maybe even another chance to manage a team (preferably one with better offensive personnel), but it's clear that Shelton is not the man for this particular job. It's fair to question if Cherington has earned his free pass, though. There's still time for Pittsburgh to change its mind, of course. Most directly, Cherington is responsible for the Pirates' complete lack of offensive firepower and the decrepit state of the bullpen.

Pittsburgh has successfully developed a top-shelf starting rotation, but just about every other aspect of the roster has been neglected over the course of Cherington's five-year tenure with the franchise. Fans will surely encourage more wholesale change to the Pirates' management structure. Firing Shelton, but leaving Cherington in place is the equivalent of shooting the messanger. Shelton could've delivered the message better, but he can only do so much with such a makeshift roster.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals aren't expected to fire John Mozeliak despite historic losing season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 72-71 and well out of the National League Wild Card hunt. There's a nonzero chance that St. Louis picks up its second-straight losing season. That has not happened in over 60 years, since 1958-59. It would mark a historically bad stretch for one of the MLB's most prestigious and successful franchises. Naturally, fans would expect heads to roll.

John Mozeliak has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent years. He has allocated funds and put together what, on the surface, should be a competitive roster. The Cardinals paid Sonny Gray; St. Louis has developed impact talent in its farm system. And yet, the youth movement appears to be faltering. Nolan Gorman was recently demoted to Triple-A after a particularly brutal season, while the expensive vets — Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado first and foremost — are in the midst of career-worst stretches.

St. Louis' core has aged out and the next generation hasn't quite aged in. It's a tricky spot to navigate from a front office perspective and Mozeliak clearly has not done the best job of it. Beyond the Gray signing, he left several holes in the pitching staff and failed to meaningfully address the Cards' offensive lull at the trade deadline. Mozeliak has decades of accomplishment on his resumé — it's hard to bite the bullet and fire such a historic figure — but it's clear St. Louis would benefit from a fresh voice in the front office.

Well, Nightengale cautions St. Louis fans against getting their hopes up. Mozeliak has already stated his plans to step down after the 2025 campaign and "no change is expected." That said, Nightengale does mention the possibility of responsibilities shifting, which could imply that St. Louis hires a new voice above or below Mozeliak to help guide the team into the future. He also mentions former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom as a potential replacement in a year or so.

So, while no changes appear imminent, the Mozeliak era is at least winding down in St. Louis. Change is on the horizon, if not close enough for the liking of Cards fans.