The Phillies need to do something to improve their roster. They can't just run things back.
But even with a front office with a track record of making splashy moves and an ownership group not shy to spend, the price seems to be extremely high this offseason even for the hungry Phillies.
The Phillies aren't even being considered as players for Juan Soto — who is reportedly mulling offers well north of $700 million this weekend. And according to USA Today baseball insider Bob Nightengale, they might be priced out in the trade market for White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet.
No player will command as much on the trade market than Crochet, the ace of the Chicago White Sox. They are asking for team’s top prospects, and no one blames them. He’s young (25), he’s cheap (projected to earn $2.9 million by MLB Trade Rumors) and he’s a stud, striking out 209 batters in 146 innings last season. The White Sox have had serious talks with the Philadelphia Phillies, but rejected the concept of Alec Bohm and outfielder Justin Crawford. The San Diego Padres would love him, and have dealt plenty of prospects in the past, but told the White Sox they are hanging onto catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries. The Red Sox lurk. In the end, the White Sox will trade him to the team that gives them the most prized prospects, and hope they never again experience anything like their embarrassing 41-121 season. [USA Today]
Justin Crawford, the son of former major league outfielder Carl, has had killer stats in the minors over three years since being picked in the first round in 2022. He has 99 total stolen bases and a .313 batting average but is still just 20 and hasn't risen above Double-A. He's been a top five organizational prospect for a few years now.
According to Nightengale he's not enough — or perhaps it's an over-valuing of Alec Bohm who is rumored to be going everywhere on the hot stove right now is what caused Chicago to say "no thanks."
Crochet would be an ideal young piece for the Phillies starting rotation — he had a 3.58 ERA in his first full year as a starter in Chicago last year, is an All-Star and just 25.
But it would be surprising if the Phillies are willing to up their prospect haul to the level of an Andrew Painter of Aidan Miller — the offer reported Sunday morning does sound like their best offer. There are still very appealing starting pitching options available on the open market that will not cost anything in prospects, like Max Fried or Corbin Burnes.
Another interesting nugget came from Nightengale on the Bohm front:
If the Astros lose Alex Bregman in free agency, you can be assured that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will be immediately on the phone offering Bohm for Astros reliever Ryan Pressly – who’s being extensively shopped. [USA Today]
Bohm for a 35-year-old relief pitcher might be a more realistic move at this point, but the offseason is young and a lot could happen between now and February when teams report to spring training.
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