Bold trade proposal has Cleveland Guardians acquiring ace pitcher from division rival

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that the primary focus of the Cleveland Guardians this offseason will be improving their starting rotation. Cleveland's starting rotation limped to the end of the regular season and was basically a non-factor in the postseason. If the Guardians are going to replicate and surpass their success in 2024, they are going to need to be aggressive in addressing their group of starting pitchers, and a recent trade proposal is as aggressive as aggressive gets.

Appearing as a part of Cooking Up 8 Garrett Crochet Trade Packages for 2024-25 MLB Offseason, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller has put together a deal that would see the Guardians acquire an ace and put together a 1-2 punch with Tanner Bibee that would be difficult to rival.

The proposed trade sees Cleveland acquiring left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for outfielder Jaison Chourio, first baseman Ralphy Velazquez, and pitcher Braylon Doughty. These are three players who the Guardians hope can be contributors down the line but are not expected to have an impact for several years.

Considering the competitive timelines of both ballclubs, this is a trade that would make sense for both sides. The Guardians would get the top of the rotation arm they are seeking, while the White Sox could reload their farm system with players who would ideally match up with when they are supposed to be on an upward trajectory. The only real thing standing in the way of this deal coming to fruition would be the White Sox being stuck in an archaic way of thinking, but as Miller points out, why should the Guardians contending during a time when they are in tear-down and rebuild mode even concern them if it helps them out in the long term?

Again, the White Sox might be reluctant to help out a division rival. However, why should they care if they improve the Guardians' chances of winning the AL Central in 2025 and 2026 when they have no realistic hope of contending in either of those years?

Of course, when assessing this potential deal and whether or not it comes to fruition, nobody should get their hopes up. The White Sox are an organization that is run incredibly poorly and would stick to outdated modes of operation, meaning an outright refusal to trade within the division despite this process being largely done away with. But if Chicago suddenly has an unforeseen change of heart and actually decides to act like a modern baseball franchise and agree to a deal like this one, there would not be a single Guardians fan who would be against this trade.