Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings continue on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas. Entering the day, one of the most intriguing storylines concerns the efforts of the Chicago White Sox to trade breakout lefty Garrett Crochet.
Crochet, 25, authored an All-Star effort in his first season as a starting pitcher at the big-league level. In 32 outings, he amassed a 3.58 ERA (115 ERA+) and a 6.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions were worth an estimated 4.1 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's estimates.
Crochet was one of the most enticing candidates to move at the trade deadline. That possibility fell apart once news surfaced that he would not be willing to pitch into the postseason unless his acquiring team signed him to an extension first. Nevertheless, in our eyes Crochet remains one of the most interesting players on the trade block -- a sentiment clearly shared by various front-office decision makers across the league.
Indeed, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported on Monday that the New York Yankees and New York Mets have been the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Crochet. The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies also have interest, with the White Sox preferably seeking a return that includes MLB-ready offensive players.
Since this is the speculating season, we here at CBS Sports figured it might be worthwhile to provide a quick inventory check of those four farm systems -- with a specific focus on identifying the players who fit that aforementioned predilection.
With that in mind, let's get to it. (Do note the teams are listed in descending position, from best potential offer to worst based on the White Sox's rumored desire.)
1. Boston Red Sox
No team, either in this piece or overall, has more high-end positional prospects than the Red Sox. When we published our top 25 in November, the Red Sox had three hitters on the list: outfielder Roman Anthony (No. 1), infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell (No. 3), and shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 10). To think, that's without invoking catcher Kyle Teel (the 14th pick in the 2023 draft) or outfielder Braden Montgomery (the 12th pick this year), or anyone on the big-league roster (first baseman Triston Casas and outfielder Wilyer Abreu tend to surface in a lot of rumors). To fill out a package, the Red Sox could also part with someone like overshadowed infielder Chase Meidroth, who hit .293/.437/.401 in Triple-A and profiles as at least a reserve.
2. New York Mets
The obvious Crochet headliner in the Mets system would be up-the-middle athlete Jett Williams, a recent first-round pick whose 2024 season was mostly marred by a wrist injury. Otherwise, the Mets' best candidates for this sort of deal are either post-hype sleepers (infielders Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty) or 2023 deadline trade acquisitions (infielder Luisangel Acuña and outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford). We suppose the Mets could try to overwhelm the White Sox with quantity, much like the Atlanta Braves did in last winter's Aaron Bummer trade by sending five players to Chicago.
3. New York Yankees
It seems the Yankees may need outfielder Jasson Domínguez for their own purposes. As such, the chances of a deal getting done -- if, again, the White Sox are actually hellbent on getting some big league-ready bats in return -- hinges on how Chicago feels about outfielder Spencer Jones. You may recall that Jones was rumored to be a sticking point in New York's past pursuit of Dylan Cease. He subsequently had a miserable season, striking out in 37% of his trips to the plate in Double-A. The Yankees' other top position prospects were stationed in High-A or below.
4. Philadelphia Phillies
Don't get it twisted: the Phillies have some interesting young hitters. Recent first-round pick and shortstop/third baseman Aidan Miller leads a group that also includes shortstop Starlyn Caba and catcher Eduardo Tait. The problem is that the Phillies might have to pay a premium since none of them are close to arrival.
