Opening Day 2025 is nearly here, meaning the Boston Red Sox are less than a week away from opening the new MLB season at home against the Texas Rangers. The Red Sox already revealed last week that left-handed veteran Garrett Crochet will be their Opening Day starter after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in December.
As excited as Red Sox fans are to see Crochet on the mound, the fanbase is wondering whether his Boston tenure will last longer than a year. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning time is ticking for the player and club to reach an extension.
Although there's still plenty of time to put pen to paper, a potential extension might not happen any time soon.
Red Sox Unlikely to Extend LHP Garrett Crochet Before Opening Day
On Friday night, MassLive's Chris Cotillo poured cold water regarding the idea of the Red Sox extending Crochet before his club debut on Thursday.
"A Crochet extension is less than likely before he starts for the Red Sox on Opening Day," Cotillo reported after speaking to team sources. "There is believed to be a large gap between the sides at present."
A source with knowledge of the talks told MassLive late Friday that a Crochet extension is less than likely before he starts for the Red Sox on Opening Day (Thursday). There is believed to be a large gap between the sides at present.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 22, 2025
Crochet acknowledged that reality in a tacit… https://t.co/QP1ypXrRch
Before signing third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency, the Red Sox had a recent history of hesitating to hand out big-money contracts. With that in mind, it isn't shocking that they might want Crochet to prove himself before handing out a long-term extension.
It might not take long for Crochet to land a new deal if he immediately performs as he did last season, though.
The former 2020 first-rounder has arrived in Boston following a breakout performance with the White Sox last season. Making 32 starts in his first year as a starter, Crochet dazzled as he pitched to a 3.58 ERA and 1.068 WHIP while averaging a whopping 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings, resulting in his MLB All-Star debut. His 4.1 WAR also would've ranked first among Boston pitchers had he been on the team.
The good news is that Crochet has already performed as advertised in spring training. Pitching 15 2/3 innings across five starts, the 25-year-old southpaw has racked up 30 strikeouts while limiting opposing batters to eight walks and one earned run on 13 hits, good for a 0.57 ERA.
A similar performance in the regular season is unlikely, however, it's clear that Crochet looks like the real deal. Although they might want to wait on an extension, the Red Sox might want to lock down their new ace soon in case another career year puts him out of their price range.
Speaking of his promising outlook, Crochet is currently heading into Opening Day 2025 with the second-best American League Cy Young odds (+370) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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