The Boston Red Sox have been playing irrelevant baseball for too long, and it’s time for the front office to make a change. Last offseason, it seemed like the team would finally make the moves needed to turn things around. However, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow opted for a more cautious approach, leading to another disappointing season. Fortunately, there are rumors suggesting that this winter may be different. The latest buzz has the Red Sox as favorites to land one of the most sought-after young pitchers in the league.
According to MLB.com, with Boston’s deep position-player pool, there’s widespread belief that the Red Sox could trade for almost anyone. While several starting pitchers are on the market, one name that stands out is Garrett Crochet, a left-hander from the Chicago White Sox. In 2024, Crochet posted a 6-12 record with a 3.58 ERA, a 209-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a .222 batting average against, and a 1.07 WHIP over 146 innings.
The talented lefty is reportedly generating more interest than he did at the trade deadline, when big-market teams targeted him to strengthen their rotations for a postseason push. However, Crochet made it clear he wouldn’t pitch in the postseason if traded to a contender, which resulted in him finishing the season with the historically bad White Sox, who lost 121 games. Despite Boston’s rotation ranking 7th in the league with a 3.81 ERA, the Red Sox are still in need of a true ace after a shaky 2024 season.
With a projected market value of around $129 million over seven years, translating to nearly $18 million annually, Crochet is under team control through 2026. This means the Red Sox won’t have to commit long-term if they acquire him this winter. However, a trade for Crochet will likely cost several top prospects, so it remains to be seen if Breslow is willing to trade away future assets for the promising left-hander.
Leave a Reply