The White Sox believe they will trade Garrett Crochet on Tuesday, but that Luis Robert Jr. will stick with the team, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale.
Crochet, 25, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season and has long been viewed as one of the top players available on the trade market. Heading into Tuesday’s slate of games, Crochet ranked second in MLB with 160 strikeouts and 19th with a 3.23 ERA.
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In the leadup to the trade deadline, several reports shed light on concerns teams had about Crochet’s viability for a stretch run this year. To start, Crochet has long eclipsed his career-high for innings thrown. In fact, Crochet’s 114.1 innings this season are more than the 73.0 total innings he threw from 2020-2023 as a relief pitcher. Further, it’s been reported that Crochet wants a contract extension from his next team.
Teams might be hesitant to shell out big bucks for the starter given his workload this year, and his injury history. Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and missed all of the 2022 season. He was limited to just 12.2 innings in 2023 due to both his Tommy John rehab and shoulder inflammation that popped up in June.
Robert Jr. however, has been one of the most disappointing players on the White Sox this season. A hip injury in April kept him sidelined for 53 games this year, and he hasn’t been able to get in a groove since then. Robert Jr. is slashing .221/.290/.451 with 12 home runs, 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He’s struck out 82 times with just 20 walks.
The hip injury is the latest in a long line of ailments for Robert Jr. since the White Sox called him up to the big leagues in 2020. Over the past four seasons, Robert Jr. has played in just 365 out of a possible 595 games.
MLB
The MLB trade deadline passes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.