Garrett Crochet, a prime trade prospect, reiterates his love for the Chicago White Sox amid rumors

ARLINGTON, Texas - White Sox ace Garrett Crochet knows the air is full of speculation.

That is, it's all trade speculation.

There are plenty of rumors that Crochet could get traded to a contending team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, or elsewhere, or a plethora of prospects. Above it all, Crochet is focused on the present.

That present day is in Arlington, Texas, at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game.

"It's very flattering," Crochet said. "Right now, I'm wearing the White Sox jersey at the All-Star Game. That's all I'm really focused on."

Crochet has earned every bit of his All-Star nod, even if the White Sox are historically struggling.

At the break, Crochet has a Major League-best 150 strikeouts against just 23 walks over 20 starts and 107 1/3 innings. He has a 3.02 ERA and a 6-6 record.

Those six wins make up an astounding 22 percent of the White Sox's total wins this season. Chicago is 27-71 overall, one of the worst records a team has had entering the All-Star Break in MLB history.

Still, Crochet remembers the good times, specifically in 2021 when the White Sox played the Astros in the AL Playoffs. Those memories linger in Crochet's head as he remembers how much he's loved the team that drafted him into the pros.

"I've loved it," Crochet said in Arlington. "Back in '21, when we were really good, it, that was the best fan base to play in front of. I talked to numerous buddies that were on opposing teams that said that that was one of the loudest, craziest places they played in that year."

For those fans that continue to hope for a winning team, Crochet acknowledged them.

"I would love to see it get back to that point," Crochet said. "Regardless, this year they've still continued to show up. They want to win just like us."

The fans want wins, Crochet wants to provide them.

Entering this season, Crochet, coming off a lengthy recovery from Tommy John Surgery, told the White Sox front office he wanted to start. His status wasn't solidified as a starter until the beginning of the regular season.

When he took the bump on opening day, Crochet displayed that desire to win with the improvement he's made from the day he became a member of the Sox organization. He took all of that into an offseason meeting where he explained his case as to why he should start for the franchise.

"Once the old regime kind of was pushed out the door, I was starting to worry if I would ever get the opportunity that I was selected for," Crochet said. "I always had a good relationship with (Chris) Getz prior to him becoming the GM. So, once the offseason hit, I kind of just shot him a text like, ‘Hey, would love to hop on a call about this.’ And he was super open-minded for it, and by this point I had probably three or four years to think of a case for why I would make a good starting pitcher. I felt like I kind of started to overwhelm them with my positivity and my conviction on the subject."

That opportunity made him into one of the best pitchers in baseball.

USA Today baseball columnist Bob Nightengale told FOX 32's Lou Canellis he expects Crochet to be traded, and that the haul the Sox can get for Crochet would be enormous considering the lack of starting pitching available at the trade deadline. 

That's not on his mind.

What is on his mind is the chance to keep winning games for the team that drafted him.

 "At the end of the day, I won't be able to control what happens," Crochet said. "Right now, I'm just focused on making good starts for the White Sox."