Sep 20, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
Dave Dombrowski has always had a history of being an aggressive baseball executive. It's hard to argue with his methods when he's taken four different organizations to a World Series and won the thing twice in his career.
But at the same time, in order to reach that level of success, Dombrowski has sold the farm.
He hasn't done that yet in his time with the Phillies, although a thought was starting to percolate in the minds of many that after the Phillies blew the NLCS to Arizona in 2023 and followed that up with another awful playoff performance against the New York Mets in 2024 that this offseason would bring out the gunslinger in Dombrowski.
However, as baseball's winter meetings came to a close and the player the Phillies were most linked to via trade - starting pitcher Garrett Crochet - ended up being like a Dropkick Murphys song and kicked up to Boston for four Red Sox prospects, Dombrowski flew home from Dallas with all of the Phillies' prospects still in the cupboard.
But according to a report by Matt Gelb in The Athletic (paywall), Dombrowski was willing to part with two of the Phillies top prospects for Crochet back in July, but not now.
The reasoning? Crochet was only available for two possible postseasons now as opposed to three back in July. He is under team control through 2026 before becoming a free agent.
Dombrowski felt that giving up two of baseball's best prospects for two years of a pitcher was a bit steep.
Garrett Crochet would have cost the Phillies Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford and more. The Red Sox were able to deal 4 of their prospects in exchange for him. It was entirely too much to give up in return for him. Relax people. They’re still going to make moves! In Dave we trust
— Donovan Vogel (@Donnie_BROgel) December 11, 2024
"I'm not sure it was the right time for us to do that right now," Dombrowski said, according to The Athletic.
And it's understandable. The Phillies do have four quality pitchers in their rotation and a fifth - top prospect Andrew Painter - expected to pitch in the majors at some point in 2025. So, Crochet, while enticing to think of him in the Phillies rotation, wasn't exactly filling a glaring need, which is why the Phillies didn't want to part with two top-end prospects for him for two years worth of production.
"One thing we've done is we really rode out the development of our farm system over the last few years," Dombrowski told Gelb and other reporters. And we're just getting to the point of having the impact that those guys (provide). It's not quite here, but we're on the verge of having some really good young players.
"This is where I disagree with people. 'The Phillies are in a position where, maybe, their time is ending.' And I don't agree with that. I always say it might be that the time for this present roster (is almost ending) because some guys are free agents. But we have some really good young players coming."
Justin Crawford is a doubles machine 🔥
He's got three doubles through two games, tied for the most at the #Premier12! pic.twitter.com/RBQjI7FrIb
Miller is just 20. Crawford turns 21 in January. Both had very good seasons in 2024 at multiple levels of the minor league system. Miller ranks as the No. 26 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline. Crawford ranks No. 53. Miller posted 45 extra-base hits in just 395 at bats. He walked an additional 56 times.
Crawford hit .313, had an .805 OPS and stole 42 bases. Both project out as quality everyday players in the majors.
Gooooood morning, Aidan Miller. pic.twitter.com/HRL8g0vxGx
And then there's Painter, who the White Sox - among many teams in baseball - covet. When they didn't trade Crochet to the Phillies in July, it was in part because they asked for Painter and the Phillies said no. The White Sox continued to scout him in the Arizona Fall League, and when the two teams engaged again this week, they tried to revisit Painter. The Phillies continued to say no.
"Andrew Painter's pretty good," Dombrowski said. "We could get a lot of players for Andrew Painter. But I think I'll wait it out for the next few months to get him with us."
Andrew Painter has eye-popping stuff.
- Fastball that touches 101
- Potential plus slider
- Developing changeup + curvbeall
And he ties it all together with 70-grade command. https://t.co/V0wLxPT50d pic.twitter.com/7x70yHiuiC
It's a newly found level of restraint for Dombrowski who is slow-playing another offseason so far. But that doesn't mean the ol' cowboy won't whip out the six-shooter if he gets an itchy trigger finger when the time is right.
"I wish we would have maybe done a little more," Dombrowski said of his time in Dallas. "But it's not done either. The meetings are done, but the conversations we had, it doesn't mean they're over ... We don't have to force anything. Let's just wait and let's see what happens."
