The Baltimore Orioles have recently taken control of the American League East from the New York Yankees. But despite a 55-31 record and a two-game lead in the division, the club needs some rotation help before the July 30 trade deadline. Could they land hurler Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox?
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter put together this five-player trade proposal that would send Baltimore one of the top pitchers available this month:
Orioles receive: left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet
White Sox receive: first baseman/outfielder Heston Kjerstad, left-handed pitcher Cade Povich, second baseman Connor Norby and outfielder Dylan Beavers
“Slugger Heston Kjerstad, left-hander Cade Povich and infielder Connor Norby are all MLB-ready pieces that could immediately plug into the White Sox lineup, while Dylan Beavers is also knocking on the door with strong numbers at Double-A,” he said.
“It’s a steep price to pay for the Orioles, but it gives them a potential replacement for Corbin Burnes atop the rotation if he departs in free agency while also bolstering the staff for this year’s playoff push.”
Norby (fifth), Beavers (sixth) and Povich (eighth) are all top 10 prospects in the Orioles’ system, per MLB.com. While Kjerstad has officially graduated from prospect status, he debuted with similar hype. He owns a .827 OPS through his first 74 career plate appearances and entered 2024 as a consensus top 50 prospect in baseball.
Crochet Would Give the Orioles Stability Beyond 2024
Adding Crochet to Baltimore’s starting rotation would give the club a big boost — this season and beyond.
Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery), John Means (Tommy John surgery) and Tyler Wells (UCL surgery) are all on the injured list for a prolonged period. That leaves Corbin Burnes, Albert Suarez, Povich, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer as part of the Orioles’ current starting five, according to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource.
Acquiring Burnes via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers has proven to be a fantastic move. The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner has posted a 9-3 record with a 2.28 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 106.2 innings. The problem with his situation is that Burnes is slated to be a free agent this winter. The Scott Boras client is projected to get a hefty payday, so it’s unknown if he’ll remain in Baltimore.
So, bringing Crochet to the O’s will serve two main purposes. He’d hypothetically help the club compete for a World Series title this season. He’s 6-6 with a 3.02 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a league-leading 141 strikeouts in 101.1 innings. Crochet would also help stabilize the top of the Orioles’ rotation beyond 2024 if Burnes signs elsewhere this winter. According to Spotrac, the southpaw is making $800,000 this season and is under team control through 2026.
Baltimore Trying to Take That Next Step in the Postseason
The Orioles went through a painful rebuild to get where they are in 2024. Between 2018 and 2021, they lost at least 108 games three times. But things have turned around since 2022 once top prospects started making their way to the big leagues.
Manager Brandon Hyde’s club posted an 83-79 record in 2022 before winning the American League East in 2023 with a 101-61 record. It was the first time Baltimore won at least 100 games in the regular season since 1980. All those good feelings didn’t last long once October rolled around. Baltimore was swept out of the American League Division Series by the Texas Rangers.
FanGraphs has the Orioles’ odds of returning to the playoffs at 98.9%. But with the Yankees right behind them in the standings, their chances of repeating as AL East champions are just 53.2%. Getting a boost via trade before the deadline will help things down the stretch. It’ll also help in October, as Baltimore will be trying to win its first playoff game since 2014.
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