MLB Trade Rumors: Garrett Crochet, Luis Robert Jr. Offseason Moves Eyed By White Sox

Andrew PetersAugust 18, 2024

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A pair of Chicago White Sox stars could be on the move this offseason.

Per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the White Sox still plan to trade starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, but are also looking to find a deal for center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

“The White Sox still intend to trade Crochet in the offseason, and hope to also move center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who hit two homers on Friday after being in a 5-for-46 skid,” Nightengale wrote.

Crochet has had a breakout year in his first season as a starter, recording 176 strikeouts, a 3.61 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 25 starts on his way to his first All-Star appearance. The tremendous season made him a hot commodity at this year’s trade deadline.

Several teams pursued the 25-year-old, including the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, who had “attractive offers” for Chicago, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The White Sox instead decided to hold on to Crochet for the rest of the year in hopes of getting an even bigger return this offseason.

The trade market wasn’t quite as high for Robert, which led to Chicago keeping him put for now. Robert missed most of April and all of Mat with a hip flexor strain and hasn’t had his best season, but Chicago could still get a decent return this offseason.

Robert has 14 homers, 31 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a .209 batting average in 68 games. He’s coming off the best season of his career in 2023, when he slugged 38 homers and 80 RBI to go along with a .264 batting average and 20 stolen bases.

If teams are confident Robert will return to that form when he’s fully healthy, he could be one of the more sought-after players on the trade market.