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Red Sox Land Top Pitcher Target in Major Offseason Trade

After trading Chris Sale last offseason, the Boston Red Sox have finally found their replacement in Garrett Crochet.

By Jovan Alford

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings.
Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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After seeing the first two pitching dominoes fall in Max Fried and Nathan Eovaldi, the Boston Red Sox addressed their starting rotation by making a blockbuster trade for an All-Star pitcher on Wednesday.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox have acquired Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet in exchange for prospects Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez.

Red Sox' Garrett Crochet Trade Comes After Missing on Top FA Target

This is a massive move for Boston as they needed a top-of-the-line starter after seeing the New York Yankees hand Fried an eight-year, $218 million contract. That said, the BoSox didn’t have to trade for Crochet as free-agent pitchers such as Corbin Burnes, Walker Buehler, and Roki Sasaki are still available.

However, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Beslow felt this was the right move for the organization to cash in for a frontline starter.

Crochet had an impressive 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox in his first full year as a starter. Heading into this past season, Crochet was viewed as a bullpen piece, his role since making his major league debut in Sept. 2020.

But the White Sox decided to gamble and put Crochet into the starting rotation, which was the best move despite his injury concerns. The 25-year-old starter had a mediocre 6-12 record but posted a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts.

He also racked up a career-high 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched and only allowed 18 home runs and 33 walks. Crochet joins a starting rotation that features Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and Lucas Giolito.

Lastly, the Red Sox gave up a significant haul for Crochet as all four minor-league prospects are ranked within the top 15 of Boston’s farm system, per MLB Pipeline. Catcher prospect Kyle Teel is the headliner of this deal as he was promoted to Triple-A this past season after tearing it up in Double-A. 

The 22-year-old is projected to make his major league debut sometime in 2025 and Sox fans hoped that would happen in Boston. Instead, they will watch Crochet lead this pitching staff for the next couple of seasons.

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