Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet threw a huge wrench into the trade deadline by requesting a contract extension from any team interested in dealing for him.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Crochet's plan "stunned" general managers around the league who were engaged in talks with the White Sox about the 25-year-old.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported on Thursday that Crochet was going to require a team to give him a long-term contract to pitch in the postseason this year. He also made it known he had "no desire" to be used out of the bullpen due to health concerns.

Crochet's case as a potential difference-maker in a pennant race this season was extremely complicated.

The White Sox haven't publicly said what the innings target for Crochet is, but it's safe to assume they were going to ease on the throttle at some point if he stays with them.

A first-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft, Crochet pitched exclusively in relief for a total of 73.0 innings in his previous three seasons. He also missed all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery.

If you include his three years at Tennessee, Crochet's highest innings total in a single season prior to 2024 was his sophomore season in 2019 (65.0).

After making the rotation out of spring training, Crochet has already thrown 111.1 innings in 21 starts this season.

Passan noted Crochet's request for a contract if a trade happens would mitigate any potential risk he takes on by interrupting the routine he's established as a starter if he shifted to a relief role for the stretch run and/or playoffs.

Josh Hader operated with a strict set of rules about his usage for years before signing a five-year, $95 million deal with the Houston Astros in free agency last offseason.

Whether or not those rules allowed Hader to remain healthy and highly productive, despite relief pitching being notoriously volatile, it worked to the point that he signed the richest present-day value contract ever given to a reliever.

According to Passan, Hader and Crochet are both represented by the same agency.

The extension request also complicates any potential negotiations teams might have with the White Sox. One of the biggest reasons Crochet is such a valuable trade chip right now is because he's only making $800,000 this season and is under team control through 2026.

If you immediately take away the low financial cost of adding Crochet, teams would presumably feel less inclined to give up their very best prospects.

While it's unclear what type of extension Crochet would accept, Passan cited Tyler Glasnow's five-year, $136.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers as the potential framework.

Whether it's as a starter or multi-inning reliever, Crochet could be a difference-making pitcher in the playoffs. He has a 3.07 ERA and an AL-high 157 strikeouts in 111.1 innings this season.

Crochet just may not get the chance to pitch in October after a virtually unprecedented contract demand that would be required to facilitate a trade.