The Atlanta Braves have been carried by their starting rotation for much of this season, but that rotation has never appeared more vulnerable than it does right now.
With All-Star lefty Max Fried already working his way back from the 15-day injured list, All-Star righty Reynaldo López left his start Sunday with forearm tightness. If the Braves are without either of those two moving forward, their strength suddenly becomes a weakness.
At 56-48, the Braves are narrowly maintaining the National League's top Wild Card spot. If they want to avenge their consecutive postseason defeats to the Philadelphia Phillies, they may well require pitching reinforcements.
Fortunately, according to one Major League Baseball insider, those reinforcements may be forthcoming.
Jon Heyman, an insider for the New York Post and MLB Network, reported on Monday that the Braves were mulling a trade for star lefty Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox.
"Braves are among teams considering White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. Makes sense for them if they can muster decent return," Heyman tweeted. "They have multiple injury losses/concerns at the top of their rotation and Crochet salary ($800K) is very reasonable."
Crochet, 25, is one of the most complicated trade candidates in recent memory. He was already blowing past his previous career-high in innings pitched this season, his first as a starting pitcher. Then, reports surfaced about his unique demands regarding a potential trade.
Heyman reported on Friday that Crochet would not accept a bullpen role during the regular season, and would only pitch in the playoffs if given a contract extension. All that makes sense from a self-preservation perspective, but is certainly a roadblock to any trade deal.
However, if any team is well-positioned to meet Crochet's requests, it may be the Braves. They have $35 million coming off the books between starting pitchers Charlie Morton and Max Fried this winter and could commit a chunk of that money to Crochet.
There is no denying that acquiring Crochet would raise the ceiling on the Braves' overall potential. The lefty is one of the most dynamic arms in all of baseball this season and is still learning the ropes as a starter.
But is the risk worth shouldering the weight of Crochet's reported demands? That will be the question general manager Alex Anthopoulos will have to answer.
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