Did the Red Sox find their ace in Garrett Crochet?
BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox finally made a move this winter -- and a big one at that -- acquiring lefty starter Garrett Crochet in a trade with the White Sox on Wednesday. Craig Breslow had to pay a big price, but acquired a promising starter and potential ace for the future in the process.
An ace has been missing from the front of the Boston rotation for the last several years, so the acquisition of the 25-year-old Crochet fills an immediate and important need. But it doesn't come without questions and concerns.
But first, let's start with the positives from Wednesday's transaction.
What did the Red Sox get in Garrett Crochet?
Crochet is a potential stud. He's got the ceiling to be a lefty ace who can lead the Boston rotation and take a lot of pressure off Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito. He's the only southpaw in the rotation at the moment, which makes him all the more valuable for Boston.
The move is reminiscent of another Sox-Sox trade in 2016, when Boston traded for Chicago lefty Chris Sale to solidify the team's rotation. Like Sale, Crochet stands at 6-foot-6, though Sale was a lot more established when he was acquired by Boston.
Crochet has just one season as a starter under his belt, but he was the lone bright spot (and lone All-Star) on a terrible White Sox team in 2024. He tossed 146 innings over his 32 starts last season, posting a 3.58 ERA while striking out 209 batters.
Crochet was a dominant reliever before his breakout season, and certainly has the stuff to become an ace. His 12.9 strikeouts-per-nine average last season is a good indication of just how dominant he can be on the mound.
The Red Sox needed to make a big move this winter, and that move needed to address their vacancy at the front of the rotation. They accomplished both goals with the Crochet trade. (On that note, they should not be done adding to this pitching staff this winter.)
But as with any trade, there are some concerns with the move.
What are the concerns with Garrett Crochet?
Most people believe that Crochet has ace-like stuff, but he's yet to prove it for an extended period of time. Boston is banking on him giving them roughly 200 innings every season, but he has just 216 innings pitched for his career.
We still don't know if he can last a full season yet, since the White Sox had him on a load management plan in the final months of the 2024 season. After June 30, Crochet never pitched more than four innings in a game.
He also missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He pitched only 12.2 innings in 2023 as he worked his was back.
Crochet will be under team control by the Red Sox for two seasons, but is eligible for free agency after the 2026 campaign. Boston will have to extend him to really make this trade worthwhile, and will likely have to pay him an ace-like salary to lock him in long-term.
At some point, the Red Sox are going to have to pony up and pay Crochet. Will they? They kind of have to after sending quite the haul to Chicago.
Did the Red Sox give up too much for Garrett Crochet?
The Red Sox gave up a lot to get Crochet, sending catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth, and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez to Chicago.
Teel and Montgomery were the fourth- and fifth-ranked prospects in the Boston system, respectively, and the Red Sox also sent away their 11th-ranked prospect in Meidroth. They didn't have to depart with any of the other "Big Four" in Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, or Kristian Campbell, but Breslow still surrendered a lot in the move.
Going back to the Sale trade, that acquisition cost Boston Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, which is roughly equivalent to Teel and Montgomery in this trade. That the Red Sox also had to send Meidroth and Gonzalez makes it a very steep price to pay for Boston.
But teams have to give up something to get something, and in Crochet the Red Sox potentially acquired the ace pitcher they have desperately needed. Now it's up to the front office to sign him to an extension, and continue to build around the promising young arm they've now added to the Major League club.