One notable MLB insider would be surprised if the Baltimore Orioles are not trying to chase another “big-time starter” before the July 30 trade deadline and believes one specific player who has taken the league by storm this season would be their preferred option.
Entering the MLB games today, the Orioles have won eight of their last 10, scored a series win over the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, and are now just 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The team is a legitimate World Series contender but has the assets to get much better.
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The big question is will Baltimore be willing to part with more of their major minor league trade chips to bolster the roster for the stretch run and potential tough matchups with the Yankees and Mariners in the postseason? They have been resistant outside of their trade for Corbin Burnes in the spring, but USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale told Sportsnaut recently he fully expects the team to chase another top-shelf arm to pair with their ace.
“I expect them to go get another big-time starter,” Nightengale said. “You don’t have room for all those [prospects]. So far they’ve hit on everybody in the draft. I expect them to be right there [in the AL East race]. No one has more talent than the Baltimore Orioles. They are loaded.”
So if they do jump into the trade market to land an impact starter, who would the Baltimore Orioles target? Well, Nightengale believes they would like to have the man who leads the league in strikeouts, Garrett Crochet. However, there are short-term risks and long-term gains in that move.
- Garrett Crochet stats (2024): 6-5 record, 3.16 ERA, 0.895 ERA, 116 SO, 19 BB, 82.2 IP
“The guy that could be [the big-time addition], but the trouble is that he’s pitched career-high innings, is Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox,” he said. “Nobody’s pitching better than this kid. In his last three starts, he’s been dominant. In his last start, 13 strikeouts, all but one fastball. Just electric stuff.
“But he’s thrown more innings this year than he has his entire career so the White Sox are planning to shut him down in the second half. If you trade for him, what are you going to get during September? Can you really pitch him in October?”
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His innings this season are legitimate cause for concern for the reliever turned soon-to-be All-Star starting pitcher. However, if they did add him his experience at the big league level as a reliever might mean he is an impact arm out of the bullpen in the second half.
If Crochet can’t be a major factor in 2024, he still would give them a new and cheap potential ace for 2025 and 2026 if Corbin Burnes leaves in free agency after this season. The 24-year-old is still signed for two more seasons and making less than $1 million.
