| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett Crochet | 25 | Majors | RP | Low | 2 | 52.1 | 3.8 | 48.2 | 38.6 | 48.2 | 57.9 |
Total Value:
48.2
| Name | Age | Level | P1 | P2 | Availability | Years | AFV | Salary | Surplus | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richie Palacios | 27 | Majors | OF | Medium | 5 | 35.8 | 10.6 | 25.3 | 20.2 | 25.3 | 30.3 | |
| Curtis Mead | 23 | Majors | 3B | 2B | 5 | 23.6 | 4.3 | 19.2 | 15.4 | 19.2 | 23.1 | |
| Mason Montgomery | 24 | Minors | SP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.6 |
Total Value:
49.2
The Rays have a roster crunch coming as 40 man roster guys start to trickle off back onto the MLB roster. Additionally, they have to find a place for Brandon Lowe when he comes off the 10 day IL. Trading Palacios hurts because he's a fun guy, but the Rays are selling high on his success. I just don't see much playing time for him or Mead. Crochet has been among baseball's best SP this year, and has 2 more years of team control after this year. His presence will allow the Rays to move Eflin and Civale for money savings and additional talent when needed. The White Sox get a top 50 prospect in Mead, a 3+ win OF/2b in Palacios, and an intriguing LH SP that made top 100 lists just a year ago.
It’s an interesting thought, but not exactly the Rays style (consolidating young pre-arb talent into an arb eligible player). Plus, I kinda think Palacios could be part of the Rays future outfield group (along with Lowe, DeLuca and either Siri or Mangum). Unless you think Misner or Peters is a possibility next year, every other outfield prospect of the Rays looks more than a year out.
Crochet is arb eligible, but it will be a cheap arbitration, as he's been a meh reliever up til this point. I don't really think about next year's outfield in terms of who we have in our farm. Our LF, CF, 3b, SS, 1B, C were MLB ready rookies we traded for that either spent very little time in our farm, or no time at all. We can figure out who our #3 OF is next year (assuming we trade Randy). We still have a lot of trades to make by opening day next year, so we will have plenty opportunities to get our LF (plus COF are always cheap in FA). I think Crochet is an ace, on par with McClanahan. We lose Eflin, Civale, and possibly Littell and Rasmussen this offseason. I want to use 3 unnecessary players (none of which stand a chance of starting on this team this year) to get 3 years of a 24 year old ace. I think I could be convinced to swap Mead and Baz if push comes to shove, and "overpay" for 3 years of an ace.
I share your view of Crochet’s talent, but not his production. From 2020-2023 he pitched a total of 73 IP, with just 12.2 IP last year. He’s at 51.2 IP right now. I just can’t see him pitching 150-200 IP this year without blowing out his elbow again, this year or next. So I don’t see him pitching in Sept/Oct this year, and I worry about his 2025-26 if he’s still pitching in August. Frankly, the White Sox seem hell bent on ruining his career with the way they are using him this year. Also, this is the Rays we are talking about. They don’t trade FOR players that cost $48MM.
The Rays have traded a lot of prospect talent away in recent years for MLB players. Top 100 prospect Jesus Sanchez for a reliever. Top 100 prospect Joe Ryan for a DH. Liberatore for Randy. Manzardo for Civale. They reportedly offered Freddy Freeman like $150MM. They signed Wander for 12 years. I wouldn't count the Rays out of anything anymore. If they think Crochet is an ace, this is a really cheap price for him. They're trading $15MM per year of depth for $40MM per year of production (an ace to me is at least a 4 win pitcher).
Well, I do think it's an interesting possibility. This trade would hurt the Rays in 2024 though, through the loss of Palacios and Crochet's inability to pitch when it matters most. Of course, pairing Crochet with McClanny, Springs, Pepiot, Bradley, Baz, Littell, and Rasmussen (possibly still a SP) in 2025 would be a sick/deep pitching staff. I still think it's unlikely but I don't hate it.