Latest Garrett Crochet trade idea highlights Chicago Cubs' need for creativity

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet figures to be near the top of the list in terms of trade candidates this offseason. There is a growing expectation that the White Sox will move Crochet prior to the start of the 2025 season with the idea that the South Siders are looking for controllable position players in return.

Given that the White Sox are seeking position players in exchange for Crochet, the Chicago Cubs, in theory, are a perfect fit.

The Cubs' farm system is littered with top position player prospects, to the extent that the expectation this offseason is that the team will trade from that crop of players to address needs at the Major League roster. That would be the reason why Owen Caissie was a popular name mentioned in trade discussions during the GM Meetings last week.

Caissie was the primary prospect that Bleacher Report had the Cubs including in a hypothetical trade for Crochet this offseason.

Hypothetical Trade: Chicago Cubs send OF Owen Caissie, SS Jefferson Rojas and RHP Brody McCullough to Chicago White Sox for LHP Garrett Crochet

At first blush, Cubs fans may see Caissie and Jefferson Rojas included in the same trade and think it is an instant non-starter. The rebuttal to that belief would be to look at where things stand with the Cubs at the Major League level.

For Caissie, he is included in an outfield mix that already includes Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cody Bellinger, and Kevin Alcantara. The fact of the matter is that from mere roster construction alone, the Cubs will need to trade an outfielder this offseason to clear the logjam. In moving Caissie, the Cubs would need to acquire impact talent at the Major League level that can help the team for multiple seasons ahead. Crochet certainly checks that box.

Rojas is an ascending infield prospect in the Cubs' system, cracking the organization's Top 10 prospects by the end of the 2024 season. The prospects ahead of Rojas include three infielders in Matt Shaw, James Triantos, and Cam Smith. It's a numbers game when looking at the Cubs' infield outlook for the seasons ahead and it goes without saying that one of Shaw, Triantos, Smith, or Rojas will not reach the Major League level with the Cubs.

Including Caissie and Rojas in the same trade would be a steep cost for the Cubs but this is what Jed Hoyer's past indecisiveness has led them to. The Cubs will need to be creative as they bridge the gap to being a 90-win team and that includes trading prospects who have become fan favorites.