Trade Talks Heat Up: Padres Package for

Could the San Diego Padres acquire highly-coveted starting pitcher Garrett Crochet this offseason?

Multiple sources believe the Chicago White Sox plan to trade Crochet this offseason, after they kept him at the MLB trade deadline in July. The White Sox finished the 2024 season just 41-121, posting the worst record over the course of a season in MLB history. Chicago is far off from contending, and could use prospects as they try to rebuild.

The Padres are looking to fortify their roster as they seek to win the franchise’s first World Series in the near future, and adding a starter like Crochet could easily improve their chances at doing so.

During the 2024 season, Crochet went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts. He made his first MLB All-Star Game, and was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year. Crochet had never started a game in the major leagues before the 2024 season, but went on to start 32 games for the White Sox. Crochet is young too at just 25-years-old, which adds to why many teams are interested in trading for him.

The Padres recently traded for a starting pitcher from the White Sox, when they acquired Dylan Cease from Chicago before the beginning of the 2024 season. Cease proved to be an essential addition for the Padres’ success during the season. He went 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA and 224 strikeouts, finishing third in MLB in strikeouts. With Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove both missing significant time during the season, Cease kept the Padres rotation afloat.

Musgrove is expected to miss the entire 2025 MLB season after injuring his elbow during a NL Wild Card game against the Atlanta Braves, which would make a potential acquisition of Crochet even more helpful.

The question will be if the Padres are willing to give up what will be needed to bring in Crochet. Per Buster Olney of ESPN, the Padres would be highly unlikely to land Crochet unless they are willing to give up Ethan Salas and/or Leodalis De Vries. Salas and De Vries are two of the most talented young prospects in baseball, and players the Padres are expected to build upon in the future. They are the Padres’ top two prospects, and each ranked in the top 30 of MLB.com’s top 100 prospects list.

If the Padres aren’t willing to give those prospects up but still interested in adding to the rotation, they could go after free agents like Blake Snell and Max Fried.