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Here’s how finalists from Garrett Crochet trade can pivot after Winter Meetings

Examining the possibilities for the three teams that lost out on the Garrett Crochet sweepstakes.

ByMichael McDermott|
Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox prevailed in the Garrett Crochet sweepstakes, as they completed a deal with the Chicago White Sox to obtain the ace left-hander. This move is reminiscent of eight years ago, when Boston acquired Chris Sale in a similar deal. Sale helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, striking out Manny Machado to clinch it.

Facing a lot of pressure to make something happen during the Winter Meetings, Boston gave up a premium package of prospects to land Crochet, headlined by catching prospect Kyle Teel. Along with Teel, 2024 top pick Braden Montgomery is heading to the South Side of Chicago, as are Chase Meidroth and Wikelmen Gonzalez.

While it's a sizable deal, it's not the worst outcome as they keep Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kristian Campbell in the organization.

The pressure on the Red Sox is similar to when they acquired Sale: it is now World Series or bust over the next two years, whether or not they extend Crochet. Simply making it into the postseason is no longer enough for Boston to have success in this tiny window. They'll have to compete with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees for the division crown and a postseason spot.

For the teams that missed out on Crochet, this is where they'll have to pivot towards this winter to improve their roster.

Mets will have to pivot towards the trade market to fortify rotation

While the Mets have won the Juan Soto sweepstakes, they still have needs to address regarding their starting rotation. The free agent pool is starting to dry up for New York in terms of top of the rotation talent. They are currently not in on Corbin Burnes, so they'll have to bank on Kodai Senga to be their ace in 2025.

The Mets have plenty of tradeable young talent in their search for rotation help. Players such as Brett Baty, Brandon Sproat, Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña, and Jett Williams are potential trade candidates for a blockbuster deal. They could pivot more towards one-year options on the trade market such as Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, or Freddy Peralta.

Another route they could go is to focus on their vacancy in center field. While they weren't able to land Crochet, they could ask Chicago about the availability of Luis Robert Jr. The outfielder struggled with the White Sox in 2024, but that could be an indictment on the poor team culture after he had a career year in 2023. It's easy to think the Mets could bank on a rebound once he joins a contender.

Yankees still have enviable rotation depth after signing Max Fried

The Yankees already made a significant addition to their rotation with left-hander Max Fried. Of the finalists chasing Crochet, they are in the best position to move forward.

Most likely, they will change their focus towards strengthening their lineup. The Yankees have been linked to outfielders Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger in the trade market, along with first baseman Christian Walker in free agency. New York will need to address four spots in their lineup, which includes two outfield spots, first base, and second base or third base, depending on where Jazz Chisholm Jr. plays.

The Yankees are in a good position when it comes to their starting pitching depth. Both Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are young, controllable starters they could leverage to upgrade their lineup via the trade market.

Phillies are limited in options to improve pitching

The Phillies were essentially a distant fourth team in the deal, lacking the prospect talent to pull off this trade. That should hardly deter their offseason plans.

The area where they're looking for the most help comes with their bullpen. One of those options is re-signing Jeff Hoffman, who is getting interest as a starting pitcher this winter.

Their best trade chip to land pitching help is starting third baseman Alec Bohm. This would be a good winter for them to sell high on the Bohm, who is coming off a career-best 3.0 bWAR season in 2024. He has two more years of control left before hitting free agency following the 2026 season. Bohm could be used as part of a package to lure Kyle Tucker away from the Astros, should they lose Alex Bregman in free agency, or the primary chip in a deal for a controllable reliever.

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