The Boston Red Sox have made their first big splash of the 2024-25 MLB offseason.
The Red Sox have acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in a trade that involves four of Boston's top prospects. Catcher Kyle Teel (No. 4 prospect, per SoxProspects.com), outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 5), infielder Chase Meidroth (No. 8), and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez (No. 18) will head to the South Side. Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe was the first to report the blockbuster Wednesday.
Crochet has been linked to Boston in trade rumors since the start of the offseason. The 25-year-old ace was considered the top starter available on the trade market, but he'll have plenty to prove as the leader of the Red Sox rotation.
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A former reliever, Crochet pitched out of the White Sox rotation for the first time in 2024 and saw encouraging results. He earned his first career All-Star nod while amassing a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 209 strikeouts, and only 33 walks through 32 starts (146 innings). Chicago eased his workload over the second half of its 121-loss campaign. He missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The ace potential is there, but the Red Sox will hope Crochet isn't just a one-year wonder. They're giving up four talented prospects in the deal, including the first-round draft picks in 2023 (Teel) and 2024 (Montgomery). Fortunately for Boston, the franchise still has a stacked farm system headlined by three of the league's top prospects: Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.
Steep price for Crochet, and one can argue they should've just used money on a free agent, but hard to complain about the Red Sox acquiring a 25-year-old ace with absolutely dominating stuff. Crochet's upside is higher than Fried or Burnes. This is a win for Breslow.
— John Tomase (@jtomase) December 11, 2024
As of Wednesday, Crochet leads a Red Sox rotation that includes Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito.