Another Reds' rival joins bidding war for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet

With the MLB Winter Meetings underway, many insiders and pundits expect Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet to be dealt this week. Crochet has been a hot name on the trade market going all the way back to last July, and the Cincinnati Reds were linked to the White Sox ace this past week.

The Reds are in tremendous position to acquire the left-hander if they'd like. The White Sox are said to be craving young position players as part of a return package, and Cincinnati has plenty of them. Top 100 prospects like Cam Collier, Edwin Arroyo, and Sal Stewart could be sent to the South Side in order to strike a deal with Chicago.

Reds Rumors: Brewers join Garrett Crochet trade talks

But the Reds are not alone in their pursuit of Crochet. The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are both in the discussion, and the Baltimore Orioles have loosely been connected to the southpaw as well. But there's now a new entrant into the Crochet sweepstakes, and it's a team that the Reds know quite well.

The Milwaukee Brewers are said to be interested in adding the lefty to their stable of hurlers. The reigning NL Central champs assembled a piecemeal pitching staff last season, and after trading away Corbin Burnes last winter, Milwaukee still lacks that frontline starter to pair alongside Freddy Peralta.

Every team rumored to be involved in the Crochet trade discussions has the type of top-shelf prospects it's going to take to get a deal done. The Red Sox will not budge on Roman Anthony, but including Marcelo Mayer could help Crochet catch a flight to Boston. Would the Brewers include Cooper Pratt in a deal for White Sox All-Star? And of course the Cubs have a loaded farm system, and could arguably offer their crosstown rivals the most in return for Crochet's services.

The next few days will be filled with rumors, and Crochet's name will be atop the list. The rumors connecting the Reds to Crochet have been inconsistent, but Cincinnati would have every reason to being the lefty to the Queen City despite having one of the top rotations in the National League.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors