The Boston Red Sox's blockbuster trade for Garrett Crochet rocked the MLB world during the 2025 Winter Meetings.
Boston sent four top prospects to the Chicago White Sox, including Kyle Teel, who was once thought of as the team's catcher of the future — a Jason Varitek-type — in exchange for the hard-throwing lefty. Crochet held out from pitching a full workload in the second half of the 2024 season, saying he would not do so without a contract extension.
Extending Crochet immediately became a priority for the Red Sox. After trading four top prospects, they must make the deal worth it by inking the 25-year-old long-term. At first, that seemed like it could be an easy task, as Crochet said he could see himself in Boston for years to come. But comments from his first interview at spring training suggest an extension could take more time than the Red Sox initially thought.
"As players, we like to look out for our family first. But with last year being my first taste of starting, part of me also wants to see what I could do with the full season of innings workload. . . Part of me wants to see what I could do in a full season before, I suppose, locking myself into a certain bracket of player," Crochet said.
Comments from Garrett Crochet show an extension with the Red Sox is not guaranteed before the 2025 season
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Red Sox fans were hoping Boston would be able to extend Crochet swiftly after acquiring him for the exact reason he mentioned. If the Sox could get him to sign before the season started and before he could flash any improvements from last season, they'd be able to hold onto him for much less money than they would if he made the All-Star team again in 2025, for example.
But Crochet knows he has the stuff to net whatever contract he wants. If recent history is any indication, the lefty's confidence could mean trouble for Boston, which hasn't been inclined to pay players what they deserve in years.
Crochet won't hit free agency until after the 2026 season, but the Red Sox should extend him well before then. If they want to get him for the best possible price, the Sox should act fast. Crochet seems ready to bet on himself to post an even better season than last year, and the Red Sox need to extend him before he can do that or risk losing him to free agency two seasons from now.