Since acquiring Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, the Boston Red Sox have received plenty of adulation for the blockbuster trade. On December 11th, Boston sent out four prospects for the southpaw, including Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, who rank inside the top 60 prospects in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. While many may see that as a steep asking price, a player like Crochet is well worth it.
In 2024, Crochet had a breakout season and was the lone bright spot on the otherwise abysmal White Sox. In 32 starts, he pitched to a 3.58 ERA, with 209 strikeouts to 33 walks, a 1.068 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 115.
The Red Sox have a ton of confidence that Crochet can repeat this success and back it up with a substantial financial commitment. It was reported on Monday night that the two had agreed to a six-year, $170 million extension. While such a commitment may seem risky, this is a move the Red Sox had to make.
BREAKING: Left-hander Garrett Crochet and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a six-year, $170 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. The deal starts in 2026 and includes an opt-out after 2030. By far the largest deal ever for a pitcher with 4+ years of service.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 1, 2025
Why the Red Sox had to give Garrett Crochet a lucrative extension
The first thing people will point out about this contract is Crochet's track record. While the 2024 season showed he can be a frontline starter, it was his first season as a full-time starter. He was used primarily out of the bullpen in his first full season in the bigs, 2021. Then, he missed all of the 2022 season and the majority of the 2023 season with Tommy John surgery. When giving out a contract with that much money attached, you want to be confident in your investment.
However, while his track record is a concern, there is also a silver lining: he doesn't have a ton of innings on his arm like other pitchers do. Since he has pitched so little in his career thus far, he only has 224 MLB innings under his belt. Couple that with the fact that he did not spend any time in the minors due to Covid cancelling the 2020 season, and the potential on this deal only looks better. With such a limited amount of innings, there is less pressure to limit the amount he throws.
There is also the possibility that Crochet is not done developing as a pitcher. At only 25 years old and having only one full season as a starter, he still can add a lot to his game. 2024 was more finding out about what works and what doesn't for Crochet as a starting pitcher. What pitches should he throw, how should he throw them, what does he need to do to keep his stamina late into games, etc.? Now that he knows how to be effective, he can work to improve his approach, giving him a higher ceiling than most pitchers who sign nine-figure deals.
This also gives the Red Sox an ace during their next contention window.
All that everyone talks about is the excellent young core of players Boston has developed over the past few years. With four prospects in MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects, three of them being in the top 12, it seems like the Red Sox's next window is about to open. Pairing that core of players with a pitcher of Crochet's caliber can make the Red Sox the favorite in the American League for years to come.
Although it may seem like a risky move, the Red Sox had to take a chance and ink Crochet to a long-term extension. They gave up too much to let him walk away for nothing, and he's got too much potential to risk waiting on — had Crochet had another Cy Young-caliber season this year, the price on this extension only would have gone up.