The Chicago White Sox were not interested in a trade package that the Phillies tried to build around two former first-round picks for LHP Garrett Crochet, according to a new report.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote this Sunday, as the baseball world starts to arrive in Dallas for the Winter Meetings:
"The White Sox have had serious talks with the Philadelphia Phillies, but rejected the concept of Alec Bohm and outfielder Justin Crawford."
Nightengale had previously written that the Phillies had discussed both Bohm and Crawford with the White Sox as part of a trade for Crochet, with Chicago expressing some reservations about Bohm's second-half struggles. However, this is the first time he's said that general manager Chris Getz flat-out rejected the idea of a trade built around Bohm and Crawford.
Even if you set aside some of the questions about just how good Bohm is at the plate and potential concerns about maturity, he just doesn't make a ton of sense for the White Sox. He's 28 and has two years remaining before free agency. The White Sox are coming off of a 121-loss season. They are not going to compete during those two years. At best, you'd be hoping to flip Bohm again and get a good return on investment.
As for Crawford, there's no doubt he's intriguing, as he hit .313 with 61 RBIs and 42 stolen bases across 457 at-bats between High-A and Double-A this past season. He also plays center field, a position that's extremely hard to find impact talents at. However, the 20-year-old definitely has some critics, as he hits the ball on the ground enough that it's made him a rather polarizing prospect among evaluators.
The reality is that for the Phillies to acquire Crochet — who has two years remaining before free agency and looked like an ace across 146 innings in 2024 — they will probably have to include SS/3B Aidan Miller in a trade package.
Considering the window on the current Phillies core seems to be closing, you could make an argument for doing that. But for an organization that's struggled to develop talent, it would be a tough pill to swallow to trade someone who was a first-round pick in 2023 and already is the No. 25 prospect in the sport, according to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball.
