The Dodgers ultimately acquired potential free-agent right-hander Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers for what some in the industry considered a modest price — infielder Trey Sweeney, 24, and minor-league catcher Thayron Liranzo, 21. Sweeney, a former first-round pick of the Yankees, reportedly will join the Tigers on Friday.
So, why didn’t the White Sox trade Crochet?
It’s the usual explanation — they did not get the offer they wanted.
For Crochet, arguably no prospect should have been off limits. Crochet, 25, is earning $800,000, just $60,000 above the league minimum. He is under club control for two more seasons. And he has emerged as an ace in his first season as a starter, with an expected ERA in the top seven percent of the league and a strikeout rate in the top 3 percent.
But according to sources, the Phillies did not offer righty Andrew Painter, who underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2023. And the Dodgers did not offer catcher Dalton Rushing, who recently started playing left field with All-Star catcher Will Smith in the first year of a 10-year extension.
Right-hander River Ryan was among the prospects the Dodgers made available, but the White Sox had concerns about his health after he first missed the first two months of the season with a sore shoulder. As it turned out, Ryan suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery after making just four major-league starts.
In addition to pure prospect deals, the White Sox also entertained offers in which they would have received lesser packages but gained salary relief. Outfielder Andrew Benintendi, owed the balance of his $16.5 million salary this season and a combined $47.5 million over the next three, is among those believed to be part of those discussions.
Crochet, assuming he ends the season healthy, almost certainly will be in high demand again this winter. His earnings in arbitration the next two seasons, as projected by The Athletic’s Tim Britton, likely will be between $10 million and $15 million — an absurdly affordable price with the top starter on the free-agent market, Baltimore Orioles righty Corbin Burnes, likely to command offers in the $200 million range.
