Luis Robert Jr. came back for more!
Trade Targets: Changes are coming for the White Sox after a historically awful season
Photo credit: © Stan Szeto - USA Today
Oct 19, 2024, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 19, 2024, 10:44 EDT
The 2024 Chicago White Sox were one of the worst teams since the modern era of baseball began.
Two players were on the 2024 White Sox roster that the Jays (and many other teams) could pursue this off-season: Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet. Both players have a ton of value that could help the White Sox accelerate their rebuild.
We’ll take a look at both of those players, but first, let’s look at the season that was for the Chicago White Sox.
A brief overview of the 2024 season for the White Sox
Remember before the start of the 2022 season, White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) posted a meme on Twitter of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Will Smith standing in a room alone with the caption, “Us wondering if the rest of the division is going to show up this year.”
I would have embedded the Tweet, but it has since been deleted – for good reason. In 2024, the White Sox finished with a 41-121 record for a .253 winning percentage, the fifth-worst since 1901. Only the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics, 1935 Boston Braves, 1962 Boston Braves, and 1904 Washington Senators had worse winning percentages. Moreover, their 121 losses were the most in league history.
So yeah, as you can imagine, things weren’t great for the Sox. To add insult to injury, three Central Division teams made the 2024 postseason: the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers, and the Kansas City Royals. As for the Minnesota Twins, they made the postseason in 2023 and missed out by four games after a rough September.
What’s worse for them is that they probably won’t be much better next season. According to MLB Pipeline’s mid-season update, the White Sox have the 11th-best farm system in the league, a good step, but not nearly enough to make them a serious team.
Luis Robert Jr.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Luis Robert Jr. is traded this off-season, as his name has been in trade rumours for a solid year now.
The centre fielder had a great 2023 season, slashing .264/.315/.542 with 38 home runs in 595 plate appearances, along with a 5 BB% and a 28.9 K% for a 128 wRC+. Moreover, he had a 4.9 fWAR, backed by a strong 6 Defensive Runs Saved and 13 Outs Above Average in 1207.2 innings in centre.
However, Robert Jr.’s 2024 was the complete opposite. He missed two months of the season at the start of April with a right hip flexor strain. When healthy, the 27-year-old slashed .224/.278/.379 with 14 home runs in 425 plate appearances, while his K% increased to 33.2, the highest in his career.
Robert Jr. signed with the White Sox back in 2017 and signed a six-year contract (potentially eight) with the team before even playing in his first Major League Baseball game. The 2025 season would’ve been his final season of arbitration, and he’ll make $15 million.
Moreover, he has team control in 2026 and 2027, as he has a team option worth an annual salary of $20 million for both years. The 2025 season will be Robert Jr.’s final year with a luxury tax hit of $8.333 million before jumping to $20 million if the team option is exercised.
With all that being said, a poor season shouldn’t dissuade the Blue Jays from taking a shot to acquire Robert Jr. if he’s available. He adds significant power to the team’s lineup, hitting 38 home runs last season while playing strong defence in centre field with the ability to be a menace on the base paths, stealing 23 bases in 29 attempts last season.
Garrett Crochet
The other White Sox player with a ton of value is left-handed starter Garrett Crochet.
Selected 11th overall by the White Sox in the 2020 draft, he made his big league debut shortly after, pitching six scoreless innings in five appearances out of the pen. In 2021 and 2023, Crochet pitched solely out of the bullpen, posting a 2.96 ERA and a 3.35 FIP in 67 innings pitched, with a 26.2 K% and a 13.6 BB%. He missed 2022 due to Tommy John surgery.
Crochet transitioned to the rotation in 2024 and was lights out, as you could imagine. The 25-year-old left-handed pitcher finished with a 3.58 ERA and a 2.69 FIP in 146 innings pitched, along with a 35.1 K% and a 5.5 BB%. His fastball sat at 97.3 mph while also featuring a cutter, sweeper, changeup, and sinker.
Garrett Crochet's new Sinker is gonna be a problem. 99mph with 19 inches of run.
Like Robert Jr., Crochet has team control remaining as he’s entering his second year of arbitration. The left-handed pitcher is expected to make $2.9 million this season, according to MLB Trade Rumors, and won’t become a free agent until after the conclusion of the 2026 season.
As it stands, the Blue Jays don’t have a left-handed pitcher in their rotation next season. Crochet would be the perfect fit to replace Yusei Kikuchi, who was traded at the trade deadline.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.