The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were unsuccessful in acquiring outfielder Juan Soto. These bitter rivals could find themselves directly competing for other top offseason targets, including Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. But will the San Diego Padres be the team to get a deal done?
Crochet is the top starting pitcher available on the trade market. The 2024 campaign was his first opportunity to be a full-time starter. It resulted in an All-Star Game selection to go along with a 6-12 record, 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched. While Spotrac is projecting the southpaw’s market value for a long-term deal at six years and $130 million, his current contract situation is much more team-friendly.
The 25-year-old is estimated to earn $2.9 million in 2025 and is under team control via arbitration through 2026. The Red Sox and Yankees are two teams that have been kicking the tires on a potential trade for Crochet to varying degrees. However, Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer is predicting the southpaw will land in San Diego.
“The San Francisco Giants have signed Willy Adames. And even with Hernández as yet unsigned, the Dodgers have scored Blake Snell and, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, may be Japanese ace Roki Sasaki’s choice for which MLB team he wants to play for,” Rymer wrote. “All this calls for the Padres to pull off something big, such as a trade for Garrett Crochet.”
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale said the Padres “would love” to land Crochet but are hesitant to surrender top prospects like Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries. It’ll be interesting to see how Crochet’s market develops in the coming days and if the Padres make a serious push to acquire the lefty.