Missing out on going all in on the "big trade"
Alex Anthopoulos hasn't ever had the "big trade" at the deadline since coming to Atlanta. He's done a lot of his best work in the offseason with free agents and trades for impact players. Examples of this include Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, and Will Smith to name a few.
AA has gone "all in" before when he was the GM of the Blue Jays and it was a valuable learning experience for him. He and Toronto parted ways after the 2015 season because ownership didn't agree with how the trade deadline was handled.
This is an experience that has guided Anthopoulos' decision-making process ever since. This felt like the season fans were ready to see him make a blockbuster trade and get a big name. One of the biggest names rumored to be on Atlanta's radar was White Sox starter Garrett Crochet.
Crochet was considered a want for many contenders but the price seemed to be too steep. There was also the wrinkle that Crochet wanted an extension with any trade. This felt like destiny for the Atlanta Braves as they love to make those kinds of deals when making a trade (i.e. Olson and Murphy).
"He could've gone to a contender. Instead, he's stuck on the White Sox."@AJPierzynski12 thinks Garrett Crochet is the biggest loser of the deadline. pic.twitter.com/pudjMSaZ3n
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 30, 2024
This would have cost the Braves a lot in prospect capital including players like Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Drake Baldwin, and Nacho Alvarez Jr. along with MLB-ready talent to get the job done.
Crochet would have filled a void for Atlanta as they are potentially losing two starters this offseason with Morton's and Fried's futures uncertain. Crochet is a flame-throwing lefty who would slot well in the Braves rotation. However, Atlanta thinks very highly of Spencer Schwellenbach and Anthopoulos mentioned they got a lot of calls about him from other teams. He has impressed everyone with how well he's done at the MLB level despite very little professional experience.
The prospects mentioned are all cornerstone pieces for Atlanta's future and the price could have just been too costly. Crochet is talented but he's not pitched in the postseason and only has 187.1 career big-league innings under his belt. It would have been an incredible move but it's easy to see why the team passed on the opportunity.