3 Reds-White Sox blockbuster trade proposals to bring Garrett Crochet to Cincy

Reds include MLB talent in order to faciliate Garrett Crochet trade

Reds receive: Garrett Crochet (LHP)
White Sox receive: Noelvi Marte (3B/SS), Alfredo Duno (C), Tyson Lewis (SS), Hector Rodriguez (OF)

If the Reds are able to add Crochet to their starting rotation, Cincinnati would quickly become the frontrunner in the NL Central. No team in that division could boast a better rotation — though the Cubs have a solid stable of starters — and with Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand now back to full strength, the starting lineup is beginning to look pretty good as well.

And while Reds fans expect both McLain and Encarnacion-Strand to be big thumpers in the lineup, there are a lot of doubts surrounding Noelvi Marte. After being suspended for the first-half of the 2024 season due to performance enhancing drug use, Marte fell flat on his face during his first full season in the big leagues. The 23-year-old looked lost; both at the dish and in the field. Marte hit just .210/.248/.301 while also committing 12 errors in 55 games during his rookie season.

But Marte's pedigree still warrants serious consideration. While he may have fallen favor in Cincinnati, the White Sox may look at his age, minor league numbers, positional versatility, and contract status as major pluses. Marte is pre-arb eligible and won't reach free agency until after the 2029 season. Prior to his disastrous showing in 2024, Marte posted a .316/.366/.456 slash line in 35 games during the 2023 season. For those reasons and more, Marte could be an attractive part of a trade package for Crochet.

That's especially true if the Reds include their top catching prospect Alfredo Duno. An international signee back in 2023, the 18-year-old backstop is a player that Cincinnati's front office would hate to lose, but Chicago won't settle for pennies on the dollar for a player of Crochet's status. If the Reds are serious about acquiring Crochet, it's going to be painful, and parting with a player like Duno could be part of the equation.

With Edwin Arroyo and Sammy Stafura, the Reds have plenty of shortstop depth in their farm system. That would allow Cincinnati to part with a player like Tyson Lewis if it meant trading for starting pitcher like Crochet. Lewis is a highly-skilled shortstop with plus-speed and phenomenal upside. But with his MLB debut likely four-plus years away, the Reds could conceivably include the 18-year-old infielder as part of a trade.

A lot of Reds fans will probably scoff at the idea of trading Hector Rodriguez. The outfield prospect was acquired in a 2022 trade with the New York Mets that also brought Jose Acuña into the Reds organization. Given the Reds' lack of outfield depth in the farm system, many Reds fans are leery of dealing one of the few talented prospects who isn't either a shortstop or a pitcher. But Rodriguez's upside is exactly why a team like the White Sox would want to include the 20-year-old in a trade package for Crochet.