The July 30 trade deadline came and went without a hitch Garrett Crochet deal, or several teams are reportedly interested in the White Sox southpaw. The Dodgers and Phillies were the two clubs involved in Crochet's market, and while The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that the two NL contenders made “attractive” offers to the Sox, the bidding so far.
From the Phillies, they weren't willing to include Andrew Painter, who remains the best at 34 according to Baseball America (20th) and MLB Pipeline (34th) even though he hasn't played since September 2022. A UCL sprain sidelined Painter during training camp in Spring Training 2023 and underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2023, putting him in the best position to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign.
The 13th overall pick of the 2021 draft, Painter pitched just 109 2/3 innings, including 28 1/3 innings at the Double-A level. He could start in 2025 and return to Double-A if the Phillies want to ease him back into action after a long layoff, but if all goes well, Painter could move up the ladder quickly and become an option on Philadelphia's big league pitching staff. at the end of next season. With Painter still only 21 years old, it's understandable why even a winning team with a loaded staff might be wary of moving a top prospect with former rotation power.
Rather than making a trade for Crochet, Philadelphia made a modest move before the deadline. The Phillies' talks with the White Sox about Crochet may have led to the trade that brought it Tanner Banks to Philadelphia, and the Fightins deadline adds and includes the likes of Carlos Estevez again Austin Hays.
Negotiations between Chicago and Los Angeles were still ongoing in the final hour before the deadline, before the Dodgers turned around and arrived. Jack Flaherty at MaNgwe's. Since Flaherty is a free agent after the season and his trade market may be affected by some injury issues, naturally the Tigers' asking price for the right-hander was much lower than the White Sox's asking for Crochet, who is subject to arbitration. in the 2026 season.
Top holding hope Dalton Rushing not included in the Dodgers' offering of Crochet, however Ryan River was, although Rosenthal noted that “the White Sox had concerns about it [Ryan’s] life.” Chicago was focused on a shoulder problem that cost Ryan the first two months of the minor league season, but Ryan has been sidelined by Tommy John surgery that could keep him out for the entire 2025 campaign.
The Dodgers were in such dire need of pitching that Ryan was fast-tracked to the majors following his shoulder injury, as Ryan only amassed 24 1/3 innings in the minors (16 1/3 at the Triple-A level) this the season before he was called up to the MLB for the first time. So far, moving a major league-ready starter for Crochet probably wasn't the ideal situation for an LA team that needs basically every arm it can get at this point, but the Dodgers would have to give up a lot. to get Crochet away from the White Sox.
Rushing's name has been involved in trade speculation before Will Smith signed his biggest contract with Los Angeles in March. Smith's status as the Dodgers' catcher for the foreseeable future could make Rushing or his catcher partners. Diego Cartaya serviceable, however LA may not have wanted to move Rushing before trying him at another position. Rushing has been playing left field since his promotion to Triple-A earlier this month, and has continued to hit hot even as he adjusts to a new position and faces a high rate of strikeouts, so that's not out of the question. that Rushing could make his Major League debut before 2024 ends.
In another note about the Crochet trade talks, Rosenthal writes that “the White Sox also accepted offers where they could get less. [prospect] pockets but received salary relief.” These negotiations were reportedly involved Andrew Benintendiso in this case, an unknown team would not eat all or most of Benintendi's remaining contract as a sweetener to acquire Crochet. Rosenthal did not specify which teams made these offers, although the Dodgers and Phillies both seem to be the least likely, as adding Benintendi's contract would come at a very high cost to the two teams focused on the luxury tax zone.
On the other hand, Benintendi's five-year, $75MM contract already looks like a misfire in less than two seasons, so packing him and Crochet would be Chicago's only logical way to get Benintendi off the books. That said, Crochet is also the team's best trade asset, and moving him for a higher value package is a clear way for the Sox to bring more talent into the organization. Minimizing that return just to save money wouldn't seem so smart, especially since the White Sox are cutting back on other deals at the deadline. Benintendi is owed $47.5MM for the 2025-27 seasons, but the Sox have less than $41MM committed to their entire salary in 2025, according to RosterResource.
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