As the Boston Red Sox's farm system has deepened over recent seasons, they've become increasingly popular in trade speculations.
Chicago White Sox hurler Garrett Crochet has also been a staple of trade predictions since the 2024 trade deadline. The White Sox need immediate help in the field to rebound from the worst season of all time — they posted a 41-121 record — and Boston has MLB-ready talent to spare.
But the White Sox may not force the Red Sox to sacrifice one of their best prospects to get a deal done. In the Nov. 13 installment of the "Foul Territory" podcast, a report from Sean McAdam of MassLive suggests a trade for Crochet could be easier than anticipated for Boston, which has become a prospect hugger in recent years.
"I was told that the White Sox have interest in Abreu, and would be satisfied with him headlining," McAdam said. "Obviously, not being the only guy in the deal, they'd have to put in much more than that, including a pretty good prospect to go with him, but Abreu is someone on the White Sox's radar"
According to @Sean_McAdam, Wilyer Abreu could be moved as part of a Garrett Crochet trade 👀 pic.twitter.com/2J6sFTmDEd
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 13, 2024
Abreu posted a quality rookie season for the Red Sox that included Gold Glove honors in right field, so his trade value is high this winter. The 25-year-old has plenty of team control remaining on his contract, and his award-winning defense and solid offense would boost Chicago's lineup immediately. Abreu slashed .253/.322/.459 while the White Sox's best performer, Andrew Vaughn, slashed .246/.297/.402.
If the White Sox would accept Abreu as a headliner in a deal for Crochet, the trade is a no-brainer for the Red Sox. McAdam highlighted the redundancy in Boston's lineup — the Red Sox have so many lefty hitters that it left them weak to left-handed pitching, and their outfield is packed with even more talent on the way. Boston has Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafeala, Rob Refsnyder and Masataka Yoshida among its available outfielders and top prospect Roman Anthony is expected to debut in 2025. Abreu, Duran, Yoshida and Anthony all bat lefty, and the Red Sox could use more flexibility in their batting order.
Red Sox insider reports Wilyer Abreu could headline trade for White Sox's Garrett Crochet
Abreu's great rookie season has some Red Sox fans feeling hesitant about a trade. But Boston could easily recover from such a deal with Anthony — a No. 1 overall prospect, per Baseball America — so close to his big league debut. The Red Sox have elite outfield talent to fill Abreu's potential vacancy, even beyond Anthony, but their stash of homegrown pitchers is hardly notable.
Like Abreu for Chicago, Crochet would instantly elevate Boston's rotation. He's also 25 years old with several years of team control on his contract, and his 3.58 ERA over 32 starts would've been the lowest in the Red Sox's rotation. He fanned an astonishing 209 batters in 146 innings, good for a 98th-percentile strikeout rate and a staggering 12.88 strikeouts per nine innings.
Boston could meet Chicago's need for additional position players, specifically middle infielders. The Red Sox have Trevor Story to play shortstop in the majors, with Rafaela and top prospect Marcelo Mayer as potential middle infield staples in the future. Many of the Red Sox's other middle infield prospects don't have a clear path to the big leagues with the team, provided Mayer can stick it out, and could be excellent trade pieces in a deal for top-tier pitching.
If the White Sox really would accept Abreu as a headliner in a deal for Crochet, the Red Sox need to jump on that trade. Abreu is a solid outfielder and has a great career ahead of him, based on his rookie numbers, but he wouldn't be a crushing loss for the Red Sox due to their pool of lefty outfield talent. Crochet would boost Boston's rotation instantly and resolve one of the team's biggest needs, and swapping Abreu for him could be one of the quickest paths to diversifying its outfield at the same time.