Garrett Crochet has to know by now he’s considered a piece of meat by MLB executives interested in his talents. He’s only 25 but has seen enough of his Chicago White Sox teammates come and go in his brief career to understand this game is a business and that loyalty to an organization means little this time of year. But unlike most others in his situation, Crochet reportedly has let his pursuers know he wants to be treated like a filet mignon instead of ground chuck and advises them to act accordingly if they opt to pull the trigger on a deal. Or at least that’s the narrative surrounding Crochet since reports spread Thursday that he wants an extension from any team that acquires him before Tuesday’s trade deadline. Crochet sidestepped the report when he met with reporters Friday afternoon before the start of a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field. “It is,” he said, “what it is.” In other words, it’s nothing to talk about. “Right now I’m just focused on pitching for the White Sox, and beyond that I’m not really controlling much,” he said. So can he confirm or deny the reports? “No comment right now,” he said, before repeating: “I’m just focused on pitching for the White Sox.” White Sox starter Garrett Crochet pitches against the Pirates in the first inning on July 12, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) With two seasons left after 2024 before he’s eligible for free agency, Crochet definitely fits the mold of a nine-figure pitcher. Any team interested in him has to know that’s probably what he would get after 2026. But the idea of giving Crochet a megadeal when he’s yet to complete his first full season as a starter after pitching only 12 2/3 innings last year in his first season back from Tommy John surgery might cause some of the Ivy League executives running teams to remember the lectures from their economics professors. Crochet remains in uncharted territory in innings pitched at 111 1/3, and the possibility of teams using him out of the bullpen later in the season or in October seems legit. But Crochet wants to keep starting and hasn’t shown any signs of arm fatigue. He’s scheduled to start Sunday at Sox Park, and manager Pedro Grifol on Friday discounted the risk of pitching their prime trade bait one more time before the deadline. “Unless there’s something that’s really, really close to being executed, you don’t compromise a major-league game for something that’s not really close,” he said. Throwing Crochet only four innings seems like it’s compromising a major-league game, but what do I know? If Crochet truly is letting interested teams know he wants more money, he wouldn’t be the first. But he has no real leverage without a no-trade clause. If a team acquired him and he said he wouldn’t pitch in October without an extension, Crochet’s only option would be refusing to play. That doesn’t sound like something Crochet would do. But the threat alone could keep some teams from getting too involved in talks. Either way, it made for an interesting debate on social media. White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet heads to the bullpen to warm up for a game against the Pirates on July 12, 2024, at Guaranteed Rate Field. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Former pitcher Dallas Braden, commenting on X, called it a “tricky” situation for Crochet. He noted that usually performance leads to compensation, not vice versa. “The stance of ‘I’m not going to pitch for a championship until I’m paid for work I haven’t done’ is interesting in the fact that the player is establishing that he will not be treated as a ‘rental,’ ” Braden wrote. “He wants to secure a bag & a future with a contender. It’s an effort to avoid getting abused before he can cash out which is understood. He will not be put in a bullpen role & risk an injury that would impact his earning power as a starter in 2 years without an extension. He won’t be used like (Aroldis) Chapman in 16’ BEFORE he gets paid.” That was a reference to the former Chicago Cubs closer who was acquired at the deadline and used until his arm nearly fell off in the 2016 World Series. The Cubs knew they would not re-sign Chapman as a free agent but needed him to try to end their championship drought. Chapman was the ultimate piece of meat, and it worked out well for the Cubs. Former Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer responded to Braden’s tweet by writing on X that Crochet’s reps are simply looking out for his future. “Used to have to go out and perform,” Hosmer wrote. “(Blake) Snell went out won 2 CY young awards. (Jordan) Montgomery huge part of his team winning the World Series and even they didn’t show him love. Players aren’t taking that (s—). Good for them and shout out to Crochet and his representation for standing up. @MLBPA needs to stand behind him as well.” Crochet could be a unicorn who is immune from the huge workload increase from 2023. The Sox have treated him cautiously, and he has made the plan succeed. During All-Star week in Arlington, Texas, I asked if Crochet might be willing to throw the same number of pitches in the final four to five innings of games instead of coming out of starts so early. The Sox might actually have a better chance at not blowing games. “That could be backtracking a little bit,” he replied. “I think the work we put in to get to this point, building myself up in this capacity, would potentially be all neglected if we were to make that move.” Fair enough. Crochet does have a say in how he’s handled, and said he “expressed my belief that a five-day routine would make a little bit more sense in terms of getting through the whole year on a normal starter schedule if I’m not to reach the typical innings threshold of a starter. I think it would be very beneficial to hold to a typical routine.” The Washington Nationals famously shut down starter Stephen Strasburg before the 2012 postseason, a controversial move made to prolong his career. Crochet said in Texas he was not thinking about that possibility. “Out of my control,” he said. “Ultimately that will be somebody else’s call, not mine.” With an 11-game losing streak entering Friday, a final record that could go down as the worst in modern baseball history and daily questions about the trade deadline, how are the Sox handling this week? “About as good as you can,” Crochet said. “Every team goes through it every year. It’s something that’s a recurring theme in this game. You have to suck it up and keep playing.” For Crochet, that means one more start Sunday, which could be the last time Sox fans see him pitching for them on the South Side. Crochet said Friday that he’s not going to pitch with the possibility of being traded on his mind. “To even think about it that way, I’d be putting way too much pressure on what’s ultimately just another start,” he said.