Juan Soto may have come off the board, but the New York Yankees and New York Mets are still battling with each other to improve their rosters.
On Monday night, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported the two New York teams are among those battling to try and land Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. The 25-year-old lefty is coming off a breakout season and is under team control for two more seasons, so he should garner a huge trade return for Chicago.
According to the report, the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox are also after Crochet, but the Mets and Yankees have been the most aggressive in their chase.
The Mets have the better collection of prospect depth to trade from. The White Sox are reportedly after young bats and players like Jett Williams, Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty could be used as bait. Meanwhile, the Yankees have outfielders Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr.
The White Sox made Crochet the No. 11 pick in the 2020 MLB draft, but he struggled with injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2022. He returned to the mound late in 2023, then played his first full major league season as a starter in 2024. In 32 starts he went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 209 strikeouts against 33 walks in 146 innings. He surpassed his highest professional innings total by more than 90.
Crochet has near unlimited upside but does come as a major injury risk. Still, the price will be incredibly high for a pitcher of his pedigree with two years of team control left.
After signing Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, the Mets are going all-in. Meanwhile, the Yankees need to counter after losing Soto. It's not shocking the two New York teams are back to battling over a top player once again.
More of the Latest Around MLB
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees, Mets Emerge As Contenders to Trade for White Sox Ace Garrett Crochet.
