The day of the MLB trade deadline is upon us. For the first time in the 2024 season, all eyes are on the Chicago White Sox for reasons that go beyond awful performances on the field. More specifically, the futures of pitcher Garrett Crochet and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. are the major developments everyone in the baseball world is watching for today.
The White Sox have already started selling, agreeing to a three-team deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals that sent pitchers Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech to new, better teams. They have plenty of other moves to make and the market is very strong for sellers like them. This is the best time to be a fan of a bad team. Chicago has deals lined up but it isn’t shaping up to be a humungous firesale. Instead, it's just going to be a decently big one.
As it stands right now, the White Sox may only be dealing away one of their big names. According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports, Crochet “likely will be moved today” and Robert will be staying put since he has “drawn little interest.”
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the White Sox are “not expected” to move Robert because they think that “they might receive more substantial offers in the offseason.” Crochet, meanwhile, could still fetch Chicago a good haul.
White Sox more likely to trade Garrett Crochet than Luis Robert Jr.
Crochet's demand to receive a contract extension from his new team — a way of protecting himself and his future earning power amid his first season as a starter potentially getting extended — doesn’t seem to have dampened his trade market. He's still a very solid pitcher who, at 25 years old, still has his best years ahead of him. Rosenthal notes the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles as teams that have shown “various levels of interest” in the lefty pitcher.
For Robert, a stud in center field who has played at a star level for years, the trade demands from the White Sox may be too high or teams may be very wary of Robert's injury history. It's tough to imagine that someone as young (26 years old) and good (.741 OPS this season, MVP votes and a Silver Slugger award last season) as Robert isn’t seen as a hot commodity.
With a record of 27-82, the White Sox are doing the right thing by planning to trade away their best players. Being patient for the right return for Robert is smart, even if it means letting him waste away for another full season. Meanwhile, as teams go crazy trying to land Crochet, Chicago is in a great position to restock their farm system with more talent.
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