Red Sox ‘on the brink’ of Garrett Crochet Trade

The long awaited Garrett crochet trade is finally here. The lefty will trade his White Sox to the Red Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. Four prospects are going in the opposite direction: catcher Kyle Teelexternal Braden Montgomeryinternal Pursue Meidroth and curves to the right Wikelman González.

Crochet, 25, was the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft and made his big league debut that same season with a six-inning pot of coffee. He was a key piece of the White Sox bullpen in 2021 with a 2.82 ERA and 2.80 FIP in 54 1/3 innings of work, but missed the entire 2022 season and a portion of the 2023 season after underwent Tommy John surgery. The lefty ultimately made just 13 appearances in the majors last year and struggled in 12 2/3 innings while walking more batters than he struck out during that span.

When the White Sox made the decision to not only insert Crochet into the rotation but also name him the club’s Opening Day starter in March, the news came as something of a shock given his long injury history. The move proved fatal, however, as Crochet went on to turn in a dominant season for Chicago, emerging as the club’s lone bright spot in a brutal 121-loss season. Crochet has pitched 146 innings in 32 starts for the White Sox this year, and in doing so has posted a 3.58 ERA (115 ERA+) with a phenomenal 2.69 FIP. Among starters with at least 100 innings of work in 2024, Crochet led the sport in strikeout rate (35.1%) and SIERA (2.53), while also posting an elite 5.5% walk rate and a solid 45.1% groundball rate.

These unmatched peripheral numbers paint a picture of Crochet as one of the game’s best starters in terms of speed, offering a rare combination of command and high-end speed from the left side. That’s not to say that Crochet is completely worry-free, of course. He was quite prone to giving up hard contact to the White Sox this year, as evidenced by 14.4% of his fly balls leaving the field for home runs and a 9.2% barrel rate that was among the bottom 15th among all MLB starters with at least 140 innings this year. While this propensity toward lackluster batted-ball results may be more than made up for with Crochet’s elite strikeout-to-walk ratios, the lefty’s lack of track record due to a notable injury history is also sure to raise some eyebrows. His 146 innings of work this year represents the first time he has pitched more than 65 innings in a season dating back to his college days in the SEC, and he has thrown as many as 90 pitches in just nine of his 32 starts this year.

Of course, it’s no surprise that Crochet’s workload has been closely managed as he more than doubled his previous career high per innings in 2024. Barring injuries, it’s easy to imagine the Red Sox being able to stretch him for loads biggest jobs over the course of his two remaining seasons of team control, and perhaps even for the 2025 season. Ultimately, Crochet profiles as one of the most impactful weapons in the entire sport on a per-inning basis, and this it was clearly enough for a Red Sox club that has been on the hunt for an ace all winter to pull the triggers regardless of durability. worries.

The silver lining of Crochet’s limitations in previous seasons is that it has reduced his earning power to this point in his career. He logged over four years of major league service, but because much of that was spent on the injured list or in the bullpen, he wasn’t able to raise his salary to an awfully high level. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for just $2.9 million next year. He’ll be eligible for another raise in 2026 before his scheduled trip to free agency, but he likely won’t even be able to get to eight-figure territory due to his modest starting point. Given the huge prices paid for free agents this winter, Crochet’s situation gave him enormous trade value.

In exchange for two years of services to Crochet, Boston gives up a huge haul of potential clients. Teel is the clear headliner, ranked by Baseball America as the 25th overall prospect in the sport and Boston’s third-best prospect behind only Antonio Romano AND Kristian Campbellboth of whom the club reportedly considers untouchable. A left-handed catcher, Teel was the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft and hit a stellar .299/.390/.462 in 84 games at the Double-A level this year before earning a promotion to Triple-A. The youngster considers himself a solid defender behind the plate who should have no problem staying behind the plate, and with his 23rd birthday coming up in February it’s not hard to imagine him taking over as the everyday catcher for the Whites Sox in Chicago sometime. in 2025.

In addition to Teel, the Red Sox will also face a 2024 first-rounder Braden Montgomery. The 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, Montgomery is a progressive outfielder who has yet to make his pro debut but has slashed .322/.454/.733 in 295 trips for Texas A&M this year. BA ranks Montgomery as the No. 59 prospect in baseball while MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 54 prospect in the sport, noting that he offers more power and dual arm strength that should make him a good fit for right field. Meidroth and Gonzalez, meanwhile, aren’t considered top-100 prospects in the sport, but are still well-regarded within Boston’s system. According to Pipeline, they ranked as the No. 1 prospect. 11 and n. 14 of Boston before the trade.

Meidroth was the club’s fourth player in the 2022 draft and looked good in 122 games at Triple-A this year with a .293/.437/.401 slash line. The 23-year-old offers little power and profiles best as a second baseman in the majors, but he also has experience at third base and shortstop. Like Teel, he could make an impact on the White Sox as early as this year. Gonzalez, meanwhile, signed with the Red Sox from Venezuela and made his pro debut in 2019. He split his time between the rotation and bullpen at the Double-A level in 2024, posting a 4.73 ERA in 83 innings and 2/3 of work. His solid 25.6% strikeout rate at that level was overshadowed by a 12.8% walk rate. It’s possible that Gonzalez could make an impact at the big league level out of the bullpen in the short term, but given Chicago’s long timeline for a return to contention, it would hardly be a surprise to see the club choose to develop the 22-year-old carefully with an eye toward a future in the big league rotation.

With Crochet now in the fold, the Red Sox have checked the biggest box off their offseason to-do list by adding a premium talent to the top of their rotation. What is unclear, however, are the club’s next steps. Rumors had circulated earlier this winter that the club might pursue multiple top-tier pitching additions, and given that the club would prepare a formal tender for the top free agent starter Corbin Burnes last night such an addition cannot necessarily be ruled out. A lower-level addition to supplement the rotation appears more likely at this point, however, given recent reports expressing skepticism regarding Boston’s chances of landing Burnes. A meeting with Nick Pivetta or a search for Walker Buehler have been floated as possible alternative free agent targets for the Red Sox and could allow the club to further develop depth for a rotation currently expected to see Crochet joined by Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter CrawfordAND Luca Giolito next year.

In addition to strengthening the rotation, the Red Sox still plan to explore the market for a right-handed addition to their lineup. Teoscar Hernandez AND Alex Bregmann both have been rumored as potential targets for Boston, with Hernandez theoretically joining a crowded outfield mix as a replacement for Tyler O’Neill while Bregman will slot into the club’s lineup as an everyday second baseman unless he decides to transfer Raffaele Devers off third base. Now that Teel is headed to Chicago, it seems likely to bolster the club’s depth behind the plate and find backup as James McCann to mate with Connor Wong it could be a priority for the club.

Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe (link X) first reported that the Red Sox were in the process of acquiring Crochet with Teel going in the opposite direction. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (X link) first reported the other names in the deal.