Garrett Crochet is shaping up to be the top prize of the pitching market at the trade deadline, so, naturally, the Dodgers appear to be hot on his trail.
The Chicago White Sox long have been sure sellers, and Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. represent the two chips they have that will bring a monster haul in return. Although it seems like a Robert trade happening is a coin flip, Crochet getting moved looks more like a foregone conclusion.
Everybody wants pitching at the deadline, and Crochet can address just about any need. He’s proven this season he could cut it as a mid-to-upper rotation starter for a contender, but could also be used in a bulk relief or, if a team really wanted to get creative, a late-inning role. The bullpen possibility should only open up his market, as the 107.1 innings the 25-year-old has thrown this season already is far and away the most of any season of his professional or college career.
Because an innings limit – formal or otherwise – seems plausible for whichever team lands Crochet, Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman told the Mully & Haugh Show that the Dodgers’ way of managing pitchers makes them a better fit than a team like the Yankees.
“If those are my two choices, I’m going with the Dodgers,” Heyman said. “He fits them because – I saw him at the All-Star Game, and he said he’s not sure there’s such a thing as an innings limit and it’s worthwhile. But I think his agents believe in it, and I think the team, whoever acquires him, is going to have to adhere to an innings limit. The Dodgers like those part-time pitchers, right? Everybody on their staff is a part-time pitcher.
“Last year (Clayton) Kershaw led with 120 innings for the team that won 100 games. They don’t mind that. They’ve got now Kershaw coming back, they hope (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto coming back, certainly they’ll hope (Walker) Buehler’s coming back. They’ve always got guys coming and going, they can bring him in and limit his innings and then let him loose in October. To me, the Dodgers, who are aggressive at the deadline frequently … they’re the team that makes sense.”
The White Sox already have moved one top pitcher this season, sending Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres. The Yankees were in on Cease much like they are Crochet, but Heyman indicated they appear to be equally reticent to include outfield prospect Spencer Jones in the talks for Crochet as they were Cease.