Question: Let’s kill two birds to tackle the O’s needs in one fell swoop. What kind of package would it take for the Orioles to grab Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox? From: Doug Harbach
Answer: Doug, I’ve gotten a number questions about Crochet recently, and I’ll try to answer them.
Randy Rohrbaugh wants to know if the Orioles could sign either Blake Snell or Max Fried and trade for Crochet.
Robert Stier wants to know if a trade of Ryan Mountcastle, Jorge Mateo, Ramón Urias and Dylan Beavers would be enough to get Crochet, and Ricky Shaw from North Carolina wonders whether the Orioles would trade Jackson Holliday for a top pitcher if Corbin Burnes signs elsewhere.
Most important, while I think Crochet will be traded this offseason, I think it will come later after Burnes, Fried and Snell decide where they’re pitching in 2025 and beyond. Then the teams that missed out on those three could make higher bids. Burnes wasn’t traded until February 1st.
I think a package deal for Crochet and Robert is probably too hard to pull off. Many of the Orioles’ best prospects of recent years are already playing with the team or have already been traded. I’m skeptical that they have enough prospects they’re willing to part with and are valued highly enough to get either Crochet or Robert, let alone both.
I’m not one to propose trades, but I can’t believe that Chicago would accept trading Mateo and Urías, who are a year away from free agency, Mountcastle, who like Crochet is two years away from free agency, and Beavers in the deal.
I can’t imagine that the Orioles will trade Jackson Holliday and think that if they signed Snell or Fried—or kept Burnes—they wouldn’t be a contender to acquire Crochet.
Question: Do you think the Orioles would consider moving the grounds crew shed to left field, which would slightly increase right-field distance and take away those awkward hits off the top of the shed? From: James Tinneny
Answer: James, I’ve heard no talk about moving the grounds crew shed from right to left field, but I think, as you call them, those awkward hits are part of the charm of the ballpark. It’s great that the ballpark isn’t symmetrical, and the Orioles have built their club with several strong left-handed hitters, so I wouldn’t expect a change.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.