A Red Sox-White Sox trade with Garrett Crochet likely to move to repeat Chris Sale masterclass

One of the biggest surprises of the 2024 MLB season has been the flawless transition that Garrett Crochet has made from the bullpen to the starting rotation.

He has looked as dominant as anybody would have hoped which has led to the Chicago White Sox dangling him around in the trade market like he's the biggest and best fishing bait in the world.

MLB insider Jon Heyman seems to think that all this shopping that Chicago is doing is going to lead to him being dealt.

"Two years of control to go, so the price is understandably high. Odds to go: 4-5 in favor (56 percent)," Heyman wrote about Garrett Crochet.

The Boston Red Sox have a history of acquiring left-handed aces from the White Sox. They did it eight years ago when they made a deal to acquire Chris Sale, who ended up leading them to a World Series. They could look to do the same thing in acquiring Garrett Crochet before the trade deadline.

A blockbuster Red Sox-White Sox trade to send Garrett Crochet to Boston

Crochet has been an ace in 19 starts this season. He's thrown to the tune of a 3.08 ERA over 105.1 innings while striking out 146 hitters. His potential is through the roof.

He has an additional two seasons on his contract, making him much more expensive than a rental. Many speculate that Crochet will be looking to ink a long term deal if he is dealt in order to security himself a bit of a safety net as he continues to add to his career high in innings this season.

This is the kind of deal that would completely drop jaws. The Red Sox would be sending three of their top 10 prospects over to the Windy City in order to acquire Crochet. They may have to add in another player later, but that would still need to be determined.

The Red Sox can do this for a few reasons. They get to keep their big three prospects, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel. These three have more value to the Red Sox than the rest of their farm system. They would also be adding a young ace who would want to extend his contract for the next five, six or seven seasons with the team. It's far more than a rental.

Bleis and Zanetello are the two that would really pique Chicago's interest in this deal. Chicago wants the young, developable prospects and neither one of these two is 21 years old yet. Bleis is struggling in 2024, slashing .229/.313/.361 across two levels of the minors. Zanetello is also struggling, slashing .207/.327/.371 in Low-A. But the White Sox wouldn't want them for what they are right now. They would want them for the high ceilings they have that they could be in five years.

Gonzalez has posted a 4.17 ERA in his professional career. Across 354.1 innings, the righty is allowing a batting average near .200 while dominating with over 450 strikeouts.

The Red Sox need to make a move like this in order to close the gap on the AL East. A month ago, they had almost no chance of catching up. Now, their window of opportunity has turned into a door.