As 5 p.m. rolled by on Tuesday evening, marking the end of legal trades in MLB, the White Sox still had Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. on their roster.
The two most valuable assets on the South Side's roster were expected by many to don different uniforms past the trade deadline. It became clear early on the White Sox were looking to continue offloading their assets in exchange for prospects to headline the next era of White Sox baseball.
Yet, the two players that will inarguably give them the most significant jump start in that process remain on the team.
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How so?
Robert Jr.'s case is fairly simple. A hip flexor injury in April kept him on the sideline for 53 games this season. And when he's been on the field, he hasn't shown much promise, either. He's slashing .221/.290/.451 with 12 home runs, 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He’s struck out 82 times with just 20 walks.
Considering the White Sox are acquiring young prospects, it's fair to assume the centerfielder doesn't fit in their competitive window. But with a rocky season underway, general manager Chris Getz will have a stronger opportunity to maximize his return during the offseason.
As for Crochet, all signs pointed to the 25-year-old being dealt at the deadline. His value is arguably at its highest, but Getz and the White Sox didn't see this juncture as the right time to move their ace.
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"Garrett had strong he has had strong interest from clubs, for obvious reasons," Getz said following the deadline's passing. "He's become one of the top starting pitchers in our game, and the story kind of speaks for itself. We were having discussions with clubs up until the last hour. Nothing came together. We didn't feel like it was the right move to move Garrett, although there was that strong interest."
Coming in as a reliever, Crochet set his highest single-season innings mark at 54.1 frames in 2021. In April 2022, Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery, leaving him to pitch 12.1 innings over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. (He didn't pitch in 2022.)
But this season, he's exploded in his first full season as a starter. He's already pitched 114.1 innings from 22 starts. And he doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Crochet is holding onto a 3.23 ERA and 1.006 WHIP, with a league-leading 160 strikeouts to his name, too.
However, just days before the deadline, news dropped about Crochet's desire to remain a starter, despite the White Sox's attempt to taper his workload to fewer pitches. He also declared his desire for a new contract extension, especially from a potential trade suitor hoping for him to pitch in October during the playoffs.
The announcement caught Getz off guard, he told the media on Monday.
"I was a little surprised by it, I was," Getz said of Crochet's contract request on Monday. "I think most people, most fans, and even players, without knowing everything it makes sense. We understand why a stance would be taken like that. Now, how you go about expressing that is what was a bit hurtful, quite honestly, considering it felt like we could've handled it a bit differently and still, I think, accomplish what everybody wanted to accomplish.
"Garrett's a very talented arm. And he's just getting his starting career going. He's looking out for his long-term well-being. We fully understand and support that and will continue to do so. But the belief that we didn't have his best intentions in mind, is what I think I was a little surprised by how it was handled."
In turn, the White Sox held onto Crochet past the deadline, despite a report from Bob Nightengale early Tuesday suggesting belief from the White Sox that Crochet would be traded.
There are many factors to Crochet's situation that could've affected his market. Certainly, it appears teams would like to see him finish the season healthy without a dip in production to ascertain he's ready to become a viable starter. That seems to be prevalent thinking amongst some teams. He's taken a massive jump this season, and teams rightfully want to sniff out the potential for a fluke.
Crochet's demand for a new contract extension piles on to the first demand. If a team is skeptical to even trade for him because of his unexplored workload, there's no reason for them to think about giving him a contract extension.
But as far as the White Sox trying to keep Crochet on an extension, that remains a possibility.
"We're going to have time to be able to have dialog with Garrett and his agents," Getz said. "For what he's done so far as a new starting pitcher at the major league level is nothing short of phenomenal. And to be able to be part of his journey as he continues to mature as a pitcher and a person, I'd love to be a part of that. But, you know, it's got to make sense for both sides."
Getz has also shown an aptitude for squeezing the value out of trade deals. That skill may not have shown from the Erick Fedde and Michael Kopech trade, but that's why it took the front office the entirety of the offseason to trade Dylan Cease to the Padres. Maybe they would've gotten more for him at this trade deadline. But even the Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos was scared off by the price for Cease.
"The bar is high when it comes to moving players like Robert, Crochet, or a Dylan Cease, very simply, because they should be. They're very talented players who can help any team win a World Series," Getz said Tuesday.
This is all to say, the White Sox will undoubtedly look to move Crochet in the winter. By then, if he remains healthy, and continues paving a successful path on the mound, his value will increase. Remember, Crochet has two more seasons under club control. He won't become a free agent until 2027.
Look for Crochet and Robert Jr. to be moved this offseason. But for now, they'll finish out their respective seasons with the White Sox.
"Arms like that just don't come around," Getz said of trading Crochet during the offseason. "And, the interest, perhaps, could be even stronger, being that it's the offseason, and the urgency can change for a handful of clubs. So I anticipate the attention on Garrett and the interest in acquiring him is only going to go up."