After his first full season with the Boston Red Sox, Garrett Crochet has ranked among the top pitchers in the American League as a Cy Young Award finalist. Unfortunately, he lost to the expected back-to-back winner, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.
This year's Cy Young race came down to the wire, as Crochet and Skubal posted similar numbers in multiple categories. Crochet clocked a 2.59 ERA, 1.028 WHIP, an MLB-leading 255 strikeouts, 46 walks, an 18-5 record, 5.54 strikeout-to-walk rate, and an AL-leading 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings over 205.1 innings pitched. Skubal posted an AL-leading 2.21 ERA and MLB-best 0.891 WHIP, a 13-6 record, 241 strikeouts, 33 walks, 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings and an MLB-leading 7.30 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 195.1 innings of work.
Skubal's Cy Young victory is his second straight and Detroit should celebrate that it's had the best pitcher in the AL for two years running. But over its cheers, Skubal trade rumors echo louder.
Skubal is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season, and the odds of extending him don't look good for the Tigers. Not only is the ace represented by Scott Boras, an agent infamous for advising his clients to test the free agent market rather than sign contract extensions, Detroit's extension offers have been pitiful, to say the least.
Red Sox fans can feel comfortable with Garrett Crochet's Cy Young loss to Tarik Skubal knowing he's under contract long-term
Reports have surfaced about the gaps between the Tigers' and Skubal's target prices for an extension and they are rather significant. Detroit has offered the soon-to-be 29-year-old about $250 million less than he's willing to accept. Most reporters believe an extension between Skubal and the team that drafted him isn't likely to happen.
Meanwhile, Crochet is under contract with the Red Sox until 2030. He could have multiple AL Cy Young Awards in his future after Skubal signs with the Mets or Dodgers as the highest-paid pitcher of all time.
Boston has been linked to Skubal in trade rumors on multiple occasions, but he would be an expensive trade candidate — even more so with his second Cy Young trophy in his case. Still, no matter how unlikely it is that the Red Sox land him in a trade, fans can't help but imagine the deadliest one-two punch in MLB at the top of their rotation.
While the Tigers either look for trade suitors for Skubal or scramble to build a playoff team around him for his final run, the Red Sox are more comfortable, with their top prospects in the league and their ace under contract for at least four more years. Boston still has work to do to make the same postseason run as the Tigers did this season, but losing its ace is a distant concern.