Breaking news on Wednesday afternoon from the MLB Winter Meetings was tough to hear for Philadelphia Phillies fans. The Chicago White Sox finally agreed to a blockbuster trade for top left-handed starter Garrett Crochet — just not to the Phillies. Instead, the victor turned out to be the Boston Red Sox.
Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe initially broke the news that a deal was near. ESPN's Jeff Passan later added that it included four highly-regarded Boston prospects. The Phillies were obviously unwilling to part with enough talent to entice the White Sox to send Crochet to Philadelphia.
Source: The Red Sox are on the verge of trading for Garrett Crochet. The deal includes top prospect Kyle Teel. None of the other big name prospects.
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) December 11, 2024
The Boston prospects heading to the White Sox in the trade include catcher Kyle Teel (MLB Pipeline Boston No. 4, MLB No. 25), outfielder Brayden Montgomery (Boston No. 5, MLB No. 54), infielder Chase Meidroth (Boston No. 11) and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez (Boston No. 14).
Phillies unwilling to part with best prospects, Garrett Crochet traded to Red Sox
After being heavily involved in trade talks dating back to the July trade deadline, the Phillies came away empty-handed after offseason discussions seemingly dissolved. The last reported offer we know of was a package containing third baseman Alec Bohm and top outfield prospect Justin Crawford (Phillies No. 3, MLB No. 53). Who else the Phillies offered, we may never know.
We do know that in the summer the White Sox wanted top pitching prospect Andrew Painter as part of a deal. That was a non-starter for Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. It's hard to imagine Chicago backing off the desire for Painter after the season, especially after his phenomenal return to the mound in the Arizona Fall League.
Crochet, 25, was a coveted trade target after a season that saw him strike out 209 batters in 146 innings, with a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP for a horrendously bad White Sox team. The Phillies had reportedly pushed harder for him at the trade deadline than they had in the offseason.
Dombrowski will undoubtedly continue his search for starting rotation additions, although at this point, with Crochet off the table, it's more likely that we will see the front office opt for more affordable depth arms.