Landing Juan Soto might be the main priority for the Mets front office this offseason, but the Amazins’ have also been rumored to have interest in two big pitchers potentially on the market.
The Mets have reported interest in young hurler Garrett Crochet, who was easily the best pitcher on the historically bad 2024 Chicago White Sox. Matt Ehalt and Jon Heyman of the New York Post that the Mets, Dodgers and Padres have each expressed interest in striking a blockbuster deal for the 25-year-old lefthanded starter.
During a recent interview on Chicago sports radio, White Sox General Manager Chris Getz said the team is listening to offers on Crochet and looking for a deal that would bring them several young hitters. Acquiring Crochet won’t be cheap for the Mets or any other suitor; he’s under team control for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Only making $800,000 last season, Crochet stands to get a significant pay raise this offseason, as he is arbitration-eligible.
The Mets have one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball, and are a good fit for the White Sox’s wish list, as they have plenty of young offensive stars to offer. They include Brett Baty, the young third baseman struggled during his brief time with the Mets early on and was relegated to Triple-A Syracuse after Mark Vientos had a breakout campaign to win the third base job outright.
Other potential trade chips for the Mets in a deal for Crochet could include outfielder Drew Gilbert or first baseman Ryan Clifford, both of whom the Amazin’s acquired in the Justin Verlander trade in July 2023; Ronny Mauricio, the young infield prospect who missed all of the 2024 season due to injury; or even former first-round pick Jett Williams.
Crochet would provide a stable young arm in the Mets starting rotation. After their improbable playoff run that took them to the National League Championship Series last year, three-fifths of the Mets’ starting staff are on the free agent market: Sean Manaea, Jose Severino and Luis Quintana. The Mets extended qualifying offers to both Manaea and Severino, though both are unlikely to accept them.
During his 2024 campaign, his first as a starting pitcher, Crochet pitched to a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts in just 146 innings pitched, as the White Sox limited his pitch count for much of the second half. Even more impressive than his strikeout-to-innings ratio was his command, as he only allowed 33 walks, good for an outstanding 1.068 WHIP.
Meanwhile, the Mets could also be in on the bidding war for Roki Sasaki, the young Japanese pitcher whom the Chiba Lotte Marines plan to post to MLB for a multi-million dollar fee. Acquiring Sasaki would only cost money, and with the Mets having the richest owner in baseball in Steve Cohen, they are among the many competitors with the resources to meet both the posting fee and a contract for Sasaki.
Just 23 years of age, Sasaki has wowed baseball fans in Japan with his pitching in his brief Nippon Professional Baseball career. In 414.2 innings pitched in four years, Sasaki has struck out 524 batters while walking just 91, and pitching to a 2.02 ERA.
