Report: Phillies Not Willing To Trade As Much for Garrett Crochet as They Were in Summer

Apr 24, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) leaves the field after throwing to the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports Bruce Kluckhohn

Despite one MLB insider predicting Monday that the Phillies will ultimately acquire Garrett Crochet, it doesn't sound like Dave Dombrowski and company are at the forefront of the sweepstakes for the lefty right now.

In a piece for The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon report that the Mets and Yankees are currently the most "aggressive" teams in trade talks for Crochet, adding that "no deal with any club was considered close."

As for the Phillies, here's what the pair have to say:

"The Phillies made an offer for Crochet at the trade deadline that the White Sox considered attractive, but the teams never found a match. The chances of a deal since then have diminished, in part because the Phillies are unwilling to offer as much for Crochet now that he is available for two pennant races instead of three, league sources said."

ESPN's Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers previously reported that the Phillies declined to include No. 1 overall prospect Andrew Painter in trade discussions for Crochet this past summer.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Sunday that the White Sox "rejected" a trade concept built around Justin Crawford and Alec Bohm. Nightengale seemed to indicate Monday that the White Sox have interest in Crawford, but not so much in Bohm.

Given that White Sox general manager Chris Getz has talked about wanting to receive a package led by position players in return for Crochet, it may be that the Phillies will have to include SS/3B Aidan Miller in a deal to get the southpaw. And you're left to wonder based on the reporting of Rosenthal and Sammon if Miller may have been on the table in the summer, and not now.

Crochet, 25, struck out 209 batters and posted a 3.58 ERA over 146 innings this past season for the White Sox. He now has two remaining years of arbitration eligibility before free agency, although as Paul Boye of Phillies Therapy pointed out, Crochet was looking for an extension as part of a trade this past summer. Is that no longer the case, or were the Phillies willing to trade for him over the summer without having a long-term deal done?

See-through posturing aside, did Crochet abandon his extension stance? Because this point is irrelevant if he didn’t

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— Paul (@phillies-therapy.com) December 9, 2024 at 10:10 PM

Miller was the Phillies' first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, and the 20-year-old reached Double-A Reading by the end of his first full professional season in 2024. Across three levels of the minors this past season, Miller hit .261 with 11 home runs, 60 RBIs, 56 walks and an .811 OPS.

According to Just Baseball's Aram Leighton, Miller is the No. 25 prospect in the sport. Are the Phillies — who have rarely had prospects ranked that highly in their history — prepared to part with Miller? If you read between the lines, they may have to be if they want Crochet.