Padres Rumors: SD pursuing White Sox ace in latest aggressive trade deadline push

Not everything that AJ Preller touches turns to gold, but you can't say that the San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations never swings for the fences. The Padres' top executive is back at it once again as rumors surfaced this week about another potential trade with the Chicago White Sox.

The Padres are reportedly interested in trading for White Sox's pitcher Garrett Crochet. With Chicago basically throwing their hands up this season and looking to restock the farm system, nothing is off limits on the South Side.

According to The Athletic's Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal (subscription required), the Friars have shown strong interest in trading for the White Sox's southpaw. A move like that would turn San Diego into a legitimate threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.

Padres Rumors: SD pursing White Sox ace in latest aggressive trade deadline push

The Padres already secured the services of Dylan Cease before the start of the 2024 season, and that's worked out well so far. Though the Friars gave up a lot in return, Cease has been as advertised this season with a 3.42 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 87 punchouts in 71 innings of work.

But as good as Cease has been this season, there's an argument to be made that his former teammate has been even better. Crochet is 5-5 with a 3.49 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts in under 70 innings of work.

Pads fans have seen Preller work his magic at the trade deadline before. In 2022, Preller made a series of moves to enhance the Padres' roster ahead of the postseason by adding Juan Soto, Josh Hader, and Brandon Drury. Could another trade deadline blockbuster be in the works this summer?

The price tag for Crochet might drain the Padres' farm system completely. San Diego already parted with top prospects like Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala, Jairo Iriarte, Dillon Head, and Jakob Marsee in order to acquire Cease and two-time batting champion Luis Arráez. As is the case with both Cease and Arráez, Crochet is more than just a one-year rental. The 24-year-old will not reach free agency until after the 2026 season.

Preller has shown a fearless approach to the trade deadline for the past few seasons as he looks to build a roster capable of going to the World Series. Adding Crochet would definitely help, especially in the wake of injuries to Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove.

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