Landing Garrett Crochet would have cost the Mets their top pitching prospect.
The White Sox asked for four prospects from the Mets, including MLB.com’s No. 40 overall prospect Brandon Sproat, The Post’s Mike Puma reported.
Chicago instead sent lefty ace Crochet to the Red Sox for a four-prospect package headlined by No. 25 overall prospect, catcher Kyle Teel.
“I think we were in constant discussion and had some back and forth,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday.
With the Mets seemingly avoiding the pricey free-agent pitchers in their quest to upgrade their rotation, Crochet made sense since he has two affordable years of team control remaining.
However, the financial cost would instead be replaced in prospect weight.
The White Sox landed a big haul from Boston, also grabbing the No. 54 overall prospect in outfielder Braden Montgomery and their new No. 13 and 14 prospects in shortstop Chase Meidroth and righty Wikelman Gonzalez, respectively.
A similar haul from the Mets would have included Jett Williams (No. 52 overall), while prospects in the Mets’ 10-15 range include Luisangel Acuna, Marco Vargas and Don Hamel.
Sproat would have been the headliner after he went 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA spanning three levels last season, striking out 131 batters in 116 1/3 innings with his fastball that can hit 100 mph.
“The balancing act in all of this is how much prospect value to give up for the near term and that’s always going to be a lot of judgment as part of that,” Stearns said. “Certainly, there have been times when we have done it and we’ll continue to do it and there are times where the price just gets too steep for us and we choose to keep our prospect value.”
With Crochet now in Boston, the Mets will continue their search to upgrade a rotation that is lacking as currently constructed.
The Mets don’t seem likely to land Corbin Burnes, which could lead to them pursuing lesser-tier options like Nick Pivetta, with whom they met Wednesday, along with Walker Buehler or perhaps Jack Flaherty.
A reunion with Sean Manaea could be in the cards, although he seemingly is poised to cash in. Stearns would then have to make a call on what to offer a pitcher who will be 33 next season.
The team remains interested in Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, although time will tell if he’s just destined to join the Dodgers as has long been assumed.
The Mets added Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas this offseason, although Holmes is not a lock to remain a starter and Montas posted a 4.84 ERA last year with the Reds and Brewers.
“We have options to fill out our major-league rotation,” Stearns said. “And I certainly think it’s a possibility that we will continue to add. But if we were to go in as we are right now, I think we have options to fill our major-league rotation that we would feel good about.”
