The Boston Red Sox have been playing meaningless baseball for far too long, and it’s about time the front office took action. Last winter, it looked as if Boston was finally going to make the necessary additions to turn things around before Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow decided to take a more conservative approach, contributing to another lackluster season.
Fortunately, speculations indicate that this winter will be different for Boston. The latest exciting rumor puts the Red Sox as favorites to land one of the most coveted young pitchers in the league. “With so much high-quality position-player depth, ‘there’s a widespread sense that the (Red) Sox can trade for nearly anyone,’ according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier,” MLB.com reported Thursday. “Many starters could be options for the pitching-needy Red Sox, but one who stands out is (Chicago) White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet.”
The talented left-handed pitcher is reportedly drawing more interest from other teams than at this summer’s trade deadline when he was heavily pursued by big-market clubs looking to bolster their rotation for a deep playoff run. The 25-year-old made it known that he wouldn’t pitch in the postseason if he were dealt to a contender, resulting in Crochet finishing the year with the worst team in baseball history, the 121-loss White Sox.
Although Boston’s rotation ranked No. 7 with a 3.81 ERA this season, it could use an upgrade after a shaky 2024 campaign that proved the Red Sox still need a bonafide ace. According to Spotrac, the youngster already has a projected market value of roughly $129 million over a seven-year deal, translating to nearly $18 million annually. Fortunately, Crochet is under team control through 2026, so Boston won’t have to worry about committing to him long-term if they can acquire the White Sox ace this winter.
Trading for Crochet will likely cost the Red Sox several top prospects, so it’ll be interesting to see if Breslow is willing to sacrifice potential future pieces for the phenom southpaw.
