July 23, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports
White Sox All-Star Garrett Crochet pitching at Citizens Bank Park in April. Will be he there again this season?
The Phillies still have an MLB-best 63 wins, but they've hit some bumps in the road coming out of the All-Star Break. Ahead of next Tuesday's trade deadline, upgrades are a must for the team to maximize its championship window. Looking for help in the outfield or bullpen would be an obvious move, but a new report from MLB Network's Jon Morosi suggests that the Phillies could consider a trade to bolster their rotation, too:
The Phillies are looking at rotation upgrades. Garrett Crochet (White Sox) and Jack Flaherty (Tigers) are among the options they’ve discussed.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 23, 2024
The Phillies are hopeful that Taijuan Walker will return to their @MLB rotation in August. @MLBNetwork
Garrett Crochet is not a name I expected to hear for the Phillies. The Phils have locked themselves into a core of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sánchez already with a Ranger Suárez extension potentially looming, but Crochet is an in-prime player with superstar upside. In his age-25 season, Crochet just made the All-Star team for the White Sox while striking out a whopping 12.6 batters per nine innings, the best rate in the sport. Crochet, currently on an innings limit, might have to alter his role in Philly, but the guy has the goods.
For people who want to cling to top prospects, it's understandable, but you have to give up something to get something. Parting with someone like pitcher Andrew Painter, 21, would be a necessity and, honestly, reasonable. The dream would be for Painter to be a 25-year-old All-Star striking out more hitters than anyone in a couple of years. Crochet is that guy now with a huge future still in front of him and he's under team control through the 2026 season. Painter would just be the starting point as well...
Jack Flaherty is in the midst of a great campaign, too. Flaherty, in his age-28 season, is sporting a 3.13 ERA while striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings for the Tigers. Given his age and the fact that he's a free agent after this season, Flaherty would, naturally, cost less than Crochet.
The stove is heating up, Philadelphia. Get ready for some fireworks over the next week.
MORE: 2024 Phillies' legacy will be championship or bust
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