Red Sox fans were shocked by a significant development Tuesday, but the player involved wasn’t very surprised.

Garrett Crochet signed a massive contract extension with Boston one day before his second regular-season start with the Red Sox. Crochet certainly was deserving of the deal, but the pact nonetheless was surprising since the star southpaw previously claimed he wasn’t interested in negotiating once the campaign began.

Thus, Crochet played coy last Friday when WEEI’s Rob Bradford asked the Boston ace about his contract situation. It led to a humorous exchange between the pair Wednesday after the 2024 All-Star pitched eight scoreless innings in the Red Sox’s road win over the Baltimore Orioles.

“So when we talked (Friday) you had a pretty good idea that deal was probably going to get done,” Bradford asked Crochet.

“Yeah … Sorry,” Crochet replied.

The 25-year-old clarified that his team and the Red Sox were still in the negotiating process last Friday when he spoke with Bradford, but he could “smell” an incoming agreement.

The sides eventually crossed the finish line, and the union is poised to be a huge win for all parties involved.