Sources: Trade-target Crochet wants new deal
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline just got more complicated for teams interested in dealing for Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.
Crochet, 25, wants a contract extension if he’s traded in order to pitch in the postseason this year, according to sources familiar with the situation. Crochet also is making it known he has no desire to pitch out of the bullpen, citing health concerns for all of the above requests.
The first-time starter already has doubled his single-season high in innings, pitching in 111⅓ after totaling just 12⅔ last year. In 21 starts, he also has struck out 157 batters, second most in the majors. However, there are concerns about his usage down the stretch considering the enormous jump in his workload.
Crochet still has two more years of team control after this season before he becomes a free agent, but to push himself for another month in October, he wants security, according to the sources. And he prefers to stay in a starting pitching routine.
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow signed a 5-year, $136.5 million extension in a similar situation last December after being traded from the Tampa Bay Rays — though he was a much more accomplished pitcher, having been a starter his entire career.
Crochet broke into the league as a reliable reliever in 2020, undergoing Tommy John surgery two years later, before returning late last year. During the offseason, he expressed his desire to join the rotation and the rebuilding White Sox obliged. Now he’s one of the more sought-after pitchers known to be available, but trading for him comes with a potential high price tag.
It’s not known whether Crochet would change his stance after being traded. The White Sox could always hold onto him and revisit a deal in the offseason.
Teams interested in Crochet include the Dodgers, Orioles and Yankees, though the latter team might have already bowed out of the running, according to league sources.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was first to report Crochet’s desire for an extension.
