Mets and Yankees Lead the Race for Garrett Crochet

Just a day after the New York Mets and Yankees finished competing for the top free agent, they're now vying for the winter's most sought-after trade candidate: White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the New York teams are currently the most aggressive suitors.


While the Red Sox and Phillies have also shown interest in Crochet, they seem to be trailing the New York teams for the moment. Jon Morosi of MLB Network mentioned the Brewers' interest in Crochet, but The Athletic's report does not include Milwaukee. As of now, no team appears close to finalizing a deal.


Crochet, 25, managed to stay healthy in his first full season as a starter. The White Sox limited his workload after failing to secure a trade at the deadline. Although they didn't shut him down or skip his turns in the rotation, they shortened his starts towards the end of the year. He finished the season with 146 innings across 32 appearances, boasting impressive stats—he struck out 35.1% of batters faced while maintaining an excellent 5.5% walk rate. However, his 3.58 ERA didn't fully reflect his dominant performance, partly due to pitching in front of one of the league's weakest defensive teams, which resulted in an elevated .318 average on balls in play against him.