The Boston Red Sox have been searching for a high-end starting pitcher all offseason. They haven't convinced any free agents to sign at this point, but did manage to secure the trade market's biggest fish.
Wednesday afternoon, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Boston were finalizing a deal for Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, are parting with four prospects in exchange for Crochet.
Obviously it’s the Red Sox getting Crochet and the prospects going to the White Sox… https://t.co/SlxmqnIyjX
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2024
C Kyle Teel and OF Braden Montgomery are the headlining pieces headed to Chicago. Teel (No. 4) and Montgomery (No. 5) were each among Boston's top five prospects (via mlb.com).
The Red Sox finally nab their left-handed starter
Boston has been a rumored pursuant of every notable left-handed starting pitcher in the free agent market. They came up short thrice, failing to convince Yusei Kikuchi, Blake Snell or Max Fried to join their roster.
These struggles were predicted after their treatment of Mookie Betts in 2020. They attempted to change the narrative with one of those high-profile names and were unsuccessful. This led them to shift focus and nab Crochet to fill their need.
Crochet, a 2024 All-Star, functioned as a reliever prior to 2024. He dominated as Chicago’s ace, posting a 2.69 FIP across 146 innings. That total was fifth-best among pitchers who threw more than 100 innings last season, placing him alongside the sport’s best hurlers.
2024 MLB FIP Leaders (100+ IP) | 2024 FIP | Recent Awards |
|---|---|---|
Chris Sale | 2.09 | 2024 NL Cy Young |
Blake Snell | 2.43 | 2023 NL Cy Young |
Paul Skenes | 2.44 | 2024 NL Rookie of the Year |
Tarik Skubal | 2.49 | 2024 AL Cy Young |
Garrett Crochet | 2.69 | 2024 All-Star |
Before tossing 146 frames in 2024, Crochet had never exceeded 54.1 innings at the MLB level. His 2022 Tommy John Surgery likely gave some teams pause in acquiring him. These days, though, every pitcher carries injury risk, and the Red Sox are betting that the southpaw will keep getting healthier as he distances himself further from that elbow issue.
Boston wants to get back in the World Series hunt sooner than later. To rise above the fray in the AL East, you must take big swings. They whiffed in free agency but connected here. And they’re optimistic the payoff will resemble a very similar move they made almost a decade ago.
Boston trying to recapture Chris Sale magic of 2018
Nearly eight years ago to the day, the Red Sox and White Sox completed another trade involving an upper-echelon left-handed starting pitcher. When Boston acquired Chris Sale on Dec. 6, 2016, they gave up four prospects — including two top-five prospects — to secure him.
The overall packages are similar. Boston parted with three top-eight prospects in the Sale swap. This go-round, they sent four top-14 prospects to Chicago. Sale, who was 27 at the time, came with three years of club control; Crochet, 25, has two seasons of team control.
Players Dealt in Sale Trade (2016) | Position | Boston Prospect Ranking |
|---|---|---|
Yoan Moncada | IF | No. 1 |
Michael Kopech | RHP | No. 5 |
Luis Alexander Basabe | OF | No. 8 |
Victor Diaz | RHP | N/A |
Players Dealt in Crochet Trade | Position | Boston Prospect Ranking |
|---|---|---|
Kyle Teel | C | No. 4 |
Braden Montgomery | OF | No. 5 |
Chase Meidroth | IF | No. 11 |
Wikelman Gonzalez | RHP | No. 14 |
At the trade deadline, Crochet made clear he wouldn’t consider being traded without a contract extension. The Red Sox clearly intend on giving him one after giving up so much prospect capital. And they’re hoping Crochet can boost them in the same way Sale did; in his second season with Boston, he recorded the final out of the 2018 World Series.
THE BOSTON RED SOX ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 29, 2018
Chris Sale strikes out Manny Machado to close out the World Series! pic.twitter.com/u62k4SVQPv
The Red Sox have a much larger hill to climb to reach that situation in a similar time frame with Crochet. However, if he helps Boston claim another championship, nobody will remember nor care about what they gave up to make it happen.