The Philadelphia Phillies had championship expectations in 2024. Despite winning the National League East for the first time since 2011, their postseason run was cut short after getting eliminated by the New York Mets in the NLDS. Could they shake up the roster by making a huge trade with the Chicago White Sox for Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet?
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski discussed making tough decisions this winter to improve for 2025 at his end-of-season press conference on Oct. 15. “I mean, the reality is, we have a lot of good players,” Dombrowski said, via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I think we just have to be open-minded to exploring what’s out there for us, talk to some clubs and see what ends up happening. That process hasn’t started. Sometimes you trade good players for good players.”
One of those good players might be All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm. Despite slugging 15 home runs with 44 doubles and 97 RBI in 2024, the 28-year-old has been available on the trade market.
Bringing Robert and Crochet to the City of Brotherly Love would drastically improve the roster – especially after the Mets made a huge splash for outfielder Juan Soto. What could a blockbuster trade look like to get it done?
FanSided’s Zach Pressnell shared the following hypothetical swap:
– Phillies receive: outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet
White Sox receive: third baseman Alec Bohm, outfielder Justin Crawford, right-handed pitcher Mick Abel and infielder Devin Saltiban
This has the Phillies giving up three top-10 prospects in Crawford (third), Abel (sixth) and Saltiban (ninth), according to MLB.com. However, they’d be getting two huge pieces as they attempt to return to the World Series. Robert is one year removed from winning a 2023 Silver Slugger Award after hitting 38 home runs with 80 RBI. Crochet is fresh off an All-Star campaign in which he struck out 209 hitters in 146 innings.
While Robert is in the final guaranteed season of his six-year, $50 million extension, there are a pair of club options valued at $20 million each that can be exercised in 2026 and 2027. Crochet is estimated to earn $2.9 million next year and is under team control via arbitration through 2026.
