Yankees, Mets among teams vying for White Sox starter Garrett Crochet: sources

DALLAS – After a heated bidding war for coveted free agent Juan Soto, the New York Mets and New York Yankees are among the teams vying for the top starting pitcher available via trade, Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, sources said it in the conversations.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox are among the other teams interested in Crochet, but the Mets and Yankees were the most aggressive suitors on Monday, according to two sources briefed on the White Sox’s talks. No deal with any club was considered completed.

Crochet, 25, will be under the club’s control for two more seasons before becoming a free agent. His estimated salary through arbitration in 2025 is just $2.9 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors, a figure that is particularly attractive as the price of free-agent starting players skyrockets.

After beating out the Yankees for Soto, the Mets also appear to have the edge at Crochet given the young talent they had to offer. The White Sox ideally want hitters who are major league ready. And while shortstop Colson Montgomery is their top position candidate, people familiar with the Sox farm system say the team still needs better players at middle positions like shortstop, second base and center field.

Some of the Mets’ top young prospects, like Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña, are emerging as upper-center field players. The Mets also have Brett Baty, a former top prospect, blocked at third base by Mark Vientos. After being demoted to Triple A last season, Baty increased his versatility by playing second base.

Yankees top prospect Jasson Domínguez is considered the leading candidate to become the team’s center fielder next season. Perhaps the next best young hitters – center fielder Spencer Jones and infielder George Lombard Jr. – bring important questions.

The 6-foot-6 Jones, a first-round pick in 2022, is powerful and athletic but hit .200 and hit 17 homers with a .788 OPS in 544 plate appearances in Double A last season. A first-rounder in 1923, Lombard is just 19 years old and batted a combined .231 with a .672 OPS at two Class A levels.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Monday that the Yankees and White Sox discussed Crochet last summer, but the White Sox did not rate the Yankees’ position prospects high enough to make a trade realistic.

Asked whether the Yankees now have enough to lure the White Sox, an official with knowledge of the talks said, “Depends on how you value the top (of the farm system),” presumably referring to Jones, Lombard and possibly others.

The Phillies made Crochet an offer at the trade deadline that the White Sox found attractive, but the teams never found a suitable offer. The chances of a deal have diminished since then, in part because the Phillies are unwilling to offer Crochet as much since he is available for two pennant races instead of three, league sources said.

The Red Sox, in desperate need of a left-handed starter, appear to be an ideal fit for Crochet. But while Boston’s farm system is full of young position players that the White Sox covet, it appears to be more focused on other pursuits, league sources said.

The Mets, on the other hand, continued their pursuit of Crochet at the Winter Meetings and held additional discussions with the White Sox. Details of the Mets’ offer are unknown, but Crochet’s relatively low salary would be ideal at a time when they need to spend money in other areas.

So far, the Mets have added free agents Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes, whom they are looking to convert into a starter, to a rotation that also includes Kodai Senga and David Peterson, as well as potential depth options Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill. Crochet would fit somewhere at the top of this group.

The Yankees are more settled in their rotation, which includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Marcus Stroman. But strengthening their pitching is one way for the Yankees to combat the loss of Soto, and they could trade Cortes or Stroman to clear salary.

The White Sox converted Crochet from a reliever to a starter last season. He made the American League All-Star team and finished with a 3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts and 33 walks in 146 innings.

(Photo: Rich Story/Getty Images)