The Boston Red Sox made some big moves this winter but the headliner was the acquisition of Garrett Crochet. Boston gave up a king’s ransom in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, trading their past two first-round picks (catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery) and two top-15 prospects (Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez) to acquire the left-hander.
With the prospect capital the Red Sox gave up to complete the deal, Crochet figures to be the team’s ace for a long time. But that future grew cloudy when the 25-year-old didn’t reach an extension with the team before Opening Day.
After making his Boston debut, Crochet opened up about negotiations and revealed just how close the two sides could be toward ensuring his future with the Red Sox.
Garrett Crochet Says Contract Negotiations With Red Sox ‘Came Down to the Wire’
Crochet said that contract negotiations with the Red Sox came “down to the wire” before the Opening Day deadline. While the two sides didn’t complete the deal, Crochet added that he didn’t feel like the two sides were far off reaching a deal and broke off negotiations in a good spot.
“I wasn’t quite sure,” Crochet said during an interview with WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Friday. “It was fairly down to the wire. So I really wasn’t sure. It was just kind of waiting to hear. There was communication the entire time. …You would rather have it that way than have the conversation one time and it’s a large gap, where I’m over here thinking I’m a really good pitcher and there would be a gap, meaning they’re thinking you are less than you.”
The negotiations between the Red Sox and Crochet were a unique situation. Crochet entered the major leagues as a bullpen arm for the White Sox but thrived in a transition to a starting role last season. The southpaw racked up 209 strikeouts and 146 innings of work and also posted a 1.06 WHIP that paved his path to his first career All-Star appearance.
The good news is that the Sox have Crochet for the bargain of $3.8 million this season and have him under team control until the end of the 2026 season. However, the increasing price of pitching incentivized the Red Sox to get the deal done early.
Corbin Burnes landed the biggest contract this winter with a six-year, $210 million agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks. But other pitchers cashed in as well, including Blake Snell’s five-year, $182 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Max Fried’s eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees. Of course, those pitchers are in their 30s while Crochet would be hitting the market ahead of his age-28 season.
By holding out another year, Crochet could add another data point to his work as a starter and look to seek the $30 million that top starting pitchers have commanded on the market. He’s also gotten off to a good start allowing two earned runs with two walks and four strikeouts over five innings in Boston’s 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
While the Red Sox could reopen negotiations, Crochet insisted that he has no plans to negotiate a contract during the season as he looks to validate the trade that brought him to Boston. But he also said it’s “definitely fair” to think extension talks could pick up where they left off in the future.