White Sox's trade deadline tactics are making Garrett Crochet to Padres unattainable

Perhaps the worst kept secret at this year's MLB trade deadline is the infatuation that the San Diego Padres' front office has with Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet. It feels like all Pads fans have heard for the past month is how much president of baseball operations AJ Preller loves the idea of adding Crochet to the Friars' rotation.

And why not? The Padres have been hit hard by injuries of late — especially the starting rotation. Yu Darvish is currently on the restricted list, but was still nursing a pair of injuries prior to that roster move. Joe Musgrove is out and his timetable for return is still uncertain.

Trying to make a run at the postseason with Dylan Cease, Michael King, Matt Waldron, and Randy Vasquez in your rotation is certainly a strategy, but it's not a great one, so you can see why Preller and Co. would love to land a big arm like Crochet at the deadline.

White Sox's trade deadline tactics make Garrett Crochet to Padres unattainable

But the White Sox may be throwing a monkey wrench into a potential deal. Sources are telling Sports Illustrated's Pat Ragazzo that the Los Angeles Dodgers are in heavy pursuit of both Crochet and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. There's also the notion that Chicago could include Michael Kopech in the deal as well, allowing the two organizations to pull off a blockbuster at the trade deadline.

If the White Sox are fixated, not only on trading the trio of Crochet, Robert, and Kopech, but packaging them together to maximize the return, then San Diego will have to abandon all hope of executing a deal with Chicago.

Why? Frankly, the Dodgers have better assets than the Padres. Yes, the Friars have more top-100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, but it's hard to see San Diego parting ways with the type of prospect capital it would take to seal a megadeal with the White Sox.

There's also the payroll aspect to contend with. The Dodgers have shown time and time again that they'll fly past the luxury tax threshold if it means assembling the best talent on the planet. The Padres, on the other hand, recently worked hard to get under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, and even the very affordable contracts of Crochet and Robert would push San Diego over the line.

It's going to take a prospect-laden package and the the ability to absorb all the salaries in order to pull it off. If Chicago is intent on packaging Crochet with Robert, and maybe even Kopech, that's going to make the Padres' ideal trade acquisition all but unattainable.

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