"Hopefully, I can flip the script": MLB strikeout leader Garrett Crochet remains optimistic ahead of trade deadline
To say that Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet has had a typical season would be quite a misrepresentation. Despite his team touting the worst record in MLB, the young left-hander has been putting up one of the strongest pitching performances in the game.
For this reason, many believe that the White Sox are poised to trade Crochet at the July 30 deadline for prospects. Even as the league breaks for four days to mark the All-Star celebrations, trade talk is still swirling around the pitcher's name.
After being named an All-Star for the first time in his career, Crochet traveled to Texas this week in anticipation of Tuesday's game. Ahead of it, the 6-foot-6 Crochet gave an interview pertaining to his future with the Sox.
"Everybody's probably got it somewhere in their story that there were doubters at some point along the way and they had to prove them wrong," Garrett Crochet told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
Crochet tacitly commented on the possibility of a trade away from the Chicago White Sox. Although he did not reference a move explicitly, Crochet seemed to appear set on a fresh start and went on to say, "Hopefully I can flip the script."
Crochet, a native of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was selected by the White Sox with their 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft. After pitching out of Chicago's bullpen from 2020 until 2023, he made the jump to the rotation this season, with startling results.
Now 6-6, Garrett Crochet's 3.02 ERA shows how little run support the 25-year-old has been able to rely upon this season. However, in 20 starts this season, Crochet owns 150 strikeouts, which is the highest figure in MLB, and set a career-high 13 strikeouts on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners.
Trade involving Garrett Crochet appears imminent
According to MLB analyst Bob Nightengale, the San Diego Padres have already submitted an offer for Garrett Crochet, which was promptly rejected. In a recent piece for USA Today, Nightengale claimed that the market remains hot:
"While rival GMs are uncertain now whether Crochet will be dealt, the White Sox still fully intend to move him."
A young, dynamic pitcher with an exciting future ahead, it will be interesting to see where the next step of Crochet's career brings him.