One prospect White Sox must demand in Garrett Crochet trade from every suitor

The Chicago White Sox are arguably the most intriguing team to watch at this year's MLB trade deadline. What's particularly interesting about them is for a 27-75 team, they happen to have several trade candidates. Guys like Luis Robert Jr., Tommy Pham, Michael Kopech, and Erick Fedde might be on the move, but the focus primarily is on Garrett Crochet, an emerging ace who has been in a plethora of rumors.

Crochet is a fascinating trade candidate for several reasons. First, he's really good. The southpaw has a 3.02 ERA in 20 starts and 107.1 innings of work, striking out a league-leading 150 batters and leading the league with a 2.35 FIP. Second, he comes with 2.5 years of club control, meaning his price will be astronomical. Third, he has already set a professional high in innings pitched. How many more does he have in the tank? Could that impact his value?

There are more questions about Crochet, than, say, Tarik Skubal who has also been in trade rumors, but other than Skubal, no pitcher on the open market (that we know of) is worth more than Crochet. The White Sox, if they trade him, will have to get a ton in return. Remember, they don't have to trade him now if they don't get an offer that they like. They should be blown away by what they get in return.

These five suitors who have all been linked to Crochet should have to part with at least one high-end prospect to get their hands on this controllable ace.

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

5) The White Sox must demand OF Jasson Dominguez in a Garrett Crochet trade involving the Yankees

The New York Yankees might not have been in Crochet talks earlier this season when their starting rotation was dominating, but with how things have gone on that front lately, it makes sense that they've been very involved.

Brian Cashman has been particularly hesitant to part with top prospects in recent years, but if the Yankees have a big trade deadline they realistically can compete for a World Series. Adding a guy like Crochet using at least one of their top prospects like Jasson Dominguez, New York's No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, can get them closer.

Dominguez has seemingly been untouchable for years, and it isn't too hard to see why. He has the tools to be an elite center fielder for years to come. Yankees fans saw that in a pinch last season.

He only appeared in eight games and had 33 plate appearances, but Dominguez had eight hits, four of which left the ballpark. He has light-tower power, and happened to steal 37 bases in the minors last season as well. Would the Yankees be willing to give him up for Crochet? That remains to be seen, but with Spencer Jones' strikeout rate being where it is, the White Sox should draw the line at Dominguez or focus elsewhere.

4) The White Sox must demand LHP Robby Snelling in a Garrett Crochet trade involving the Padres

The San Diego Padres, as they often are, find themselves connected to one of the best available players on the trade block. Nobody loves to wheel and deal more than A.J. Preller who has already made the biggest midseason deal of 2024 when he acquired Luis Arraez, and it would not be a major shock to see him pull it off again.

The Padres have already made a major deal with the White Sox when they acquired Dylan Cease this past offseason, and have a need in their rotation. Both Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish are out, and if innings are a concern for this season, Crochet can dominate out of their 'pen in October.

The Padres have several prospects they can give up that the White Sox would be interested in, but Robby Snelling, their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, should be the player that they demand. That might seem odd, but Snelling has ace potential.

He's had a bit of a rough go of it this season, but Snelling was absurdly dominant last season, posting a sub-2.00 ERA in 22 starts while pitching at three different levels, and is just 20 years old pitching in AA. He can potentially be MLB-ready sometime next season, and has the tools to be a key starter for years to come.

3) The White Sox must demand OF Josue De Paula in a Garrett Crochet trade involving the Dodgers

No team in the National League at least has been mentioned more in Crochet talks than the Los Angeles Dodgers, and for good reason. The Dodgers are in position to buy, obviously, and could use some pitching help.

They're getting Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw back, but are still without Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, and several others. Yamamoto and Buehler in particular should be back sometime this season, so when that happens, moving Crochet to the bullpen to limit his innings is feasible. More importantly, the Dodgers have a ton to offer prospect-wise.

Their farm isn't quite Orioles-level, but they have several promising prospects to offer, with Josue De Paula, their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, heading that list.

De Paula, despite being just 19 years old, is a career .297/.411/.431 hitter in his minor-league career. He has a .829 OPS this season while seeing time in Single-A and High-A. Again, he's just 19 years old. It'll be a while until he might be MLB-ready, but he'd be worth the wait given the tools he possesses.

2) The White Sox must demand SS Aidan Miller in a Garrett Crochet trade involving the Phillies

Seemingly out of nowhere, the Philadelphia Phillies have entered the Crochet sweepstakes. On some level, it does make sense. They're a team that can handle limited innings from Crochet this season given how good their rotation is, and can then improve their rotation even further for 2025.

With that being said, though, would the Phillies be willing to give up an enormous haul to land Crochet when pitching isn't their biggest need? Yes, they need bullpen help, but if they trade the kind of haul it'd take to get Crochet, a bat feels like the bigger priority than an arm. Regardless, Crochet is awesome, and the Phillies certainly have the pieces to get a deal done.

Andrew Painter, if he wasn't hurt, would be the player Chicago should demand, but Aidan Miller, Philadelphia's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, wouldn't be a bad consolation prize.

His adjustment to High-A hasn't been pretty, but he has only played 24 games at that level. The 20-year-old has a .784 OPS overall this season, racking up 28 extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases. There isn't really anything he can't do, and again, is only 20. He has the chance to be a real five-tool player on the left side of the infield sometime relatively soon.

1) The White Sox must demand 3B/1B Coby Mayo in a Garrett Crochet trade involving the Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been linked to just about every high-end player, and it's not hard to see why. Their farm system is probably the best in the majors, which is crazy considering they're one of the best teams in the majors right now. Having both an elite farm and an elite, young MLB team is rare, and the Orioles have a chance to dominate for years to come.

Baltimore has more prospects than they can possibly know what to do with, and need starting pitching help for now and the future. Crochet would help in both ways, and the Orioles have the pieces to get a deal done.

The prospect they really should covet is Jackson Holliday, obviously, but with the Orioles as prospect-rich as they are, they have more than enough to get a deal done without needing to use Holliday. With that in mind, the White Sox should pursue Coby Mayo and get a haul around him.

Mayo, their No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has dominated the upper minors for a couple of years now. He hit 29 home runs and drove in 99 last season, and already has 22 home runs with 63 RBI and an absurd 1.013 OPS this season. If he was in just about any other organization other than the Orioles, he'd be in the majors right now. If the White Sox acquired him, there's a good chance he'd go right to the big club.

Mayo can play on either side of the infield dirt and can be an impact bat very quickly. He's not Holliday, but he'd be a No. 1 prospect for many other teams.