Happy Thanksgiving from The Baseball KId

 

Garrett Crochet wins AL Comeback Player of the Year

Here's a story we probably wouldn't have had on our Bingo card back in March: White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet has been named 2024 American League Comeback Player of the Year.

Crochet didn't pitch at all in 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He didn't return until late in 2023, making only 13 relief appearances. And if we're being honest, he wasn't impressive. He walked 13 batters in 12.2 innings pitched.

The idea of Crochet ever becoming a quality starting pitcher seemed far-fetched, but the Sox decided to give him a shot in spring training 2024. As a matter of fact, they made him their Opening Day starter, and the "experiment" worked far better than anyone could have imagined.

Despite the Sox being an absolutely terrible team, Crochet had a breakout season. His first half, in particular, was dominant. He made the All-Star team after striking out 150 batters in 107.1 innings over his first 20 starts.

The second half, well, Crochet was on a strict innings limit in his first full season back from surgery. He made all 32 of his starts, but after the All-Star break, he never pitched deep enough into a game to qualify for a win.

Final season totals: 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 146 innings pitched. He struck out 209 and walked only 33 batters. That strikeout-to-walk ratio never could have been foreseen given the way Crochet looked in his brief return in 2023.

There was a period of time during the season in which the only time the Sox were worth watching was the day Crochet pitched. His performance was a glimmer of hope in a sea of deep, dark misery.

Unfortunately, this is probably the last time we'll celebrate anything Crochet has done. He is likely to be traded for futures sometime this offseason, as the Sox try to dig out from the abyss of a 41-121 season.

The next time you read a blog about Crochet here, it will probably be because he was dealt to the Dodgers, Red Sox, Phillies, Orioles, Cubs or Mets.

It's too bad, really. I guess we'll wait and see what happens when the trade winds blow.

White Sox November roster moves so far

The Moncada bobblehead is a candidate for the dustbin of history.

Let's catch up on some of the roster moves the White Sox have made since the season ended:

Declined the $25 million contract option on Yoan Moncada. The oft-injured third baseman played in only 12 games for the Sox in 2024, during which he totaled zero home runs and zero RBIs. Moncada played eight seasons on the South Side, and only two of them were good (2019 and 2021). He never made an All-Star appearance. He never won a Gold Glove. The Sox never won a playoff series during his tenure. So, no, he didn't live up to the hype that comes with being the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Moncada's departure means there is nobody left on the team from the Chris Sale trade. Call it vindication for those of us who hated that trade from the start.

Declined the $7.5 million contract option on Max Stassi. Did you even know this 33-year-old catcher was even on the team this season? No? Me neither. Stassi missed the whole season with a hip injury. He had surgery in June. Chances are he's played his last game in the majors.

Relievers Jimmy Lambert and Matt Foster decline outright assignments, elect free agency. More ties were cut with the walking wounded here. Lambert, 29, didn't pitch in 2024 with a rotator cuff injury. He had season-ending surgery in August. Foster, 29, started the year on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2023. He returned in August and made six appearances, but a back injury shut him down. He underwent back surgery Sept. 25. These are two more guys you might not see in the majors again.

Claimed pitcher Penn Murfee off waivers from Houston. It's the first dumpster dive of the offseason! Murfee, 30, had Tommy John surgery in July 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season. He pitched in a combined 80 games over two years with the Seattle Mariners -- 64 appearances in 2022 and 16 games before the elbow injury in 2023. He's 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA in his career, so if he can regain his health, well, I guess he becomes a leverage option on what figures to be a subpar 2025 Sox team.

Nicky Lopez and Sammy Peralta decline outright assignments, elect free agency. Lopez, who will turn 30 before the start of the 2025 season, was a Gold Glove finalist at second base. However, he ultimately doesn't have the bat to hold down a starting position, as evidenced by his .241/.312/.294 slash line with the 2024 Sox. If you can't *slug* .300, then you shouldn't be an everyday player. Given that Lopez would be due more than $5 million in arbitration, it doesn't make sense to retain him as a bench option, either. You can find utility players for a lot less money. Heck, if Lopez can't find work elsewhere, he might come back to the Sox for far less money. Peralta, 26, posted a 4.80 ERA over nine relief appearances in 2024. He is a forgettable left-handed reliever. The Sox have other internal options who were ahead of him.