Houston Astros trade offers flame-throwing ace

Now that the Houston Astros’ ideal trade target appears to be fully on the market, it’s time to consider what it would take to get him.

The Chicago White Sox appear ready to part ways with their top young pitcher, Garrett Crochet, after failing to reach a contract extension with him.

FanSided’s Zach Pressnell put together a trade package that could be enough to acquire him, even though Houston doesn’t have the deepest farm system.

The trade would see the Astros send a host of prospects, including outfielder Luis Baez, shortstop Brice Matthews, right-handed pitcher Jose Fleury and infielder Chase Jaworsky.

Baez is Houston’s second-ranked farm prospect and would be an ideal center target for a rebuilding team like Chicago.

The 20-year-old is hitting .294, .329 and .504 in High-A this season and continues to improve at the plate. He has hit 13 home runs, which is already a career high in the minor leagues. If his bat continues to improve, teams will be lining up to pry him away from the Astros.

Matthews is right behind Baez at No. 3 and is also a developing hitter who should have plenty of suitors. He has dominated college football and hasn’t missed a beat since being drafted.

He has 20-20 potential, which he achieved in his senior year at Nebraska. So far in 2024, he’s hitting .305/.414/.519 with seven home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Fleury is the second-highest ranked minor league pitcher for Houston. At 22, he’s a few years away from being a starter, which would be a good thing for the White Sox.

He’s more of a movement guy than a quick arm guy, but he projects as someone who strikes out hitters at a high rate.

Jaworsky is kind of an add-on at the end of that contract. He’s the 29th player on their team, but he’s young enough that a team could hope to see him step up. He’s stolen 23 bases so far this season.

This is the perfect group of high-potential players for a team that has no hope of qualifying anytime soon.

For the Astros, you would certainly take a risk signing a player of Crochet’s caliber given the current state of their pitching staff.

The left-hander was chosen as the full-time starting pitcher last offseason and it has worked out well. In 101.1 innings, he has a 3.02 ERA and leads all MLB pitchers with 141 strikeouts.

He’s under team control through the 2026 season, making him a cheap option for a franchise that has a lot of money tied up in pitchers who have struggled to stay healthy.