White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet wants to start, get extension if traded - ESPN

The MLB trade deadline just got more complicated for teams interested in trading for Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.

Crochet, 25, wants a contract extension, if he's traded, in order to pitch in the postseason this year, according to sources familiar with the situation. Crochet is also telling teams he has no desire to pitch out of the bullpen, citing health concerns for all of the above requests.

The first-time starter has already doubled his single-season career high in innings, pitching in 111.1 so far after totaling just 12.2 last year. He's also struck out a major league leading 157 batters in 21 starts but there are concerns about his usage down the stretch considering the enormous jump in his workload.

Crochet still has two more years of team control after this season before he becomes a free agent, but to push himself for another month in October, he wants some security, according to the sources. And he prefers to stay in a starting pitching routine.

Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow signed a 5-year, $136.5 million extension in a similar situation last December after being traded from the Tampa Bay Rays — though he was a much more accomplished pitcher at the time, having been a starter his entire career.

Crochet broke into the league as a reliable reliever in 2020, undergoing Tommy John surgery two years later, before returning to action late last year. During the offseason, he expressed his desire to join the rotation and the rebuilding White Sox obliged. Now he's one of the more sought after pitchers known to be available, but trading for him comes with a potential high price tag.

It's not known if Crochet would change his stance after being traded. The White Sox could always hold onto him and revisit a