Mets Showing Interest in Garrett Crochet

The White Sox struggled immensely last season

They had the lowest win percentage (41-121) in major league history, and were one loss away from tying the 1962 Mets for the lowest win total ever.

But, despite the historically bad season, the White Sox had one bright spot. Converted starter Garrett Crochet. The left-hander was fast-tracked to the majors in 2020 as a 21-year-old and put up dominant seasons out of the bullpen. In three seasons, he pitched to a 2.71 ERA in 73 innings with 85 strikeouts.

The success continued in the rotation, where Crochet proved he could withstand a higher workload. The lefty made 32 starts, pitching to a 3.58 ERA while registering a 2.69 FIP, 1.068 WHIP, and 12.9 K/9.

It was electric. And while he was retained during the trade deadline due to his demands for an extension before throwing a pitch in the postseason, Crochet is back on the trade block. And the Mets are listed as a top team to make a push for him.

It’ll take a haul to acquire the 25-year-old from the White Sox. But White Sox General Manager Chris Getz is not opposed to moving his ace, and laid out what it’ll take for other teams.

“We are focusing on position player return,” Getz said, as reported by 670 The Score. “That is our primary focus in any trade talks. The right players have to be there. We can’t force anything. We certainly need to improve our offense. That is very clear. That is what we need to do in any trade or free-agent acquisition.”

The Mets are among the Red Sox and Padres as serious inquirers for the ace, and have an abundance of major league ready position player prospects to move.

Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna, and Brett Baty are all former top-100 prospects as of last season who didn’t have a home in the Mets infield. And with Francisco Lindor at shortstop for the longterm and the emergence of Mark Vientos, all three are moveable.

Whether or not the Crochet talks advance will be seen. David Stearns stated earlier this offseason that the club would be involved in the trade market, and all the Mets infield prospects on the top-15 list on MLB.com were drafted by previous front offices.

Stearns has also been aggressive on the trade market in the past. The GM traded multiple names for Christian Yelich prior to the 2018 season, which resulted in an NLCS appearance against the Dodgers and an MVP award for the left-fielder in a Brewers uniform.

The deciding factor, however, will be the White Sox, as well as the other teams involved in trade talks. The White Sox still hold two years of control over the lefty, and moving him has to come at the right price.

“You want to get the highest return for your club,” Getz said. “Some organizations’ top talent is much different than others. We have spent a lot of time and resources studying other teams’ farm systems. Garrett had an outstanding year, so as much as other teams are interested, I can also see him making an Opening Day start for us as well.”

The Red Sox have a bevy of top-position prospects coming up. Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel, Kristian Campbell, and Roman Anthony are the top four guys in the Red Sox system and are all in Triple-A. The only guy known to be unavailable in a trade, however, is Anthony.

If the Mets were to pull the trigger on Crochet, it would instantly boost a rotation with many question marks heading into 2025. It would provide the Mets an ace that eluded them in 2024 and for years to come.

“Teams that are trying to acquire Crochet know that he will sign an extension,” Jeff Passan reported on Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney.

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