A prominent MLB insider has revealed the expected starting cost for the Baltimore Orioles in a potential blockbuster trade for Garrett Crochet, as well as two starters they likely would pivot to if the asking price for the Chicago White Sox ace is too steep.
Heading into the Orioles game tonight against the Mariners, the team is back atop the American League East standings and just two games out from owning the best record in baseball. There really isn’t a lot to complain about when it comes to Baltimore’s 2024 campaign.
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Yet, they are far from a finished product. And with powerful clubs like the Guardians, Yankees, and Mariners set to be difficult challenges in the playoffs, it’s not surprising that the Os have seen their name thrown into a lot of trade speculation ahead of the July 30 deadline. One of the most notable is a potential move for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.
However, the league leader in strikeouts will be an expensive purchase, and on Wednesday The Athletic MLB insider Jim Bowden claimed that “a trade for Crochet would probably have to start with Samuel Basallo or Coby Mayo.” The second and third-ranked prospects in the entire Baltimore Orioles system on MLB.com.
It is a high price, especially since the organization did not put a top-seven prospect in their blockbuster deal for ace Corbin Burnes in the offseason.
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Bowden understands such a cost may be too much for Baltimore, even if Crochet is under team control for two more seasons and could potentially become their new ace if Burnes leaves in free agency this winter. That is why he offered up a pair of sensible secondary options to help the team bolster their staff for the second half.
“[It] could mean the Orioles pivot to a lesser starter, perhaps pursuing a reunion with Jack Flaherty of the Tigers or trying to land Luis Severino from the Mets,” he wrote.
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The former Yankees star, Severino, has had a strong bounceback season in Queens and has been one of the Mets’ most reliable arms in 2024. He is set to also hit free agency after the seasons.
Flaherty has been much better in 2024 with Detroit than he was last year in Baltimore and has sliced his ERA in half from the 6.75 he posted in nine 2023 starts.
