After a controversial start to the Winter Meetings that saw them sign a hated former division rival in Aroldis Chapman and miss out big time on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, the Boston Red Sox pulled off their biggest move of the offseason so far with a blockbuster trade to land Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox.
It wasn't cheap, as the Red Sox had to send four top prospects to Chicago in return. But they needed a legitimate ace atop their rotation, and they got one. That being said, the fact that the Red Sox were willing to part with four of their top-20 prospects (according to MLB Pipeline) would seem to indicate that they want to keep Crochet around for the foreseeable future. He's only 25 years old, after all.
Crochet won't be a free agent until 2027; but when his name was brought up in trade deadline rumors last season, it was reported that he would be open to signing extension with a potential new team (though that was believed to be because he was going to be forced to pitch a lengthy postseason run). He will make approximately $2.9 million in 2025 – a steal for the Red Sox, considering he had a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched last season – but Spotrac projects his market value to be just over $130 million over six years (roughly $21.8 million annually).
There's technically no rush given the terms of his contract, but the longer the Red Sox wait to sign Crochet to an extension, the higher the price tag will get. And therein lies the problem.
The one problem with Red Sox trading for star pitcher Garrett Crochet
As Red Sox fans rejoiced over the Crochet trade, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) played spoiler and reminded us not to get too excited.
"After getting burned on nine-figure contracts for Sale and David Price, Red Sox owner John Henry is reluctant to award long-term deals to pitchers, according to sources briefed on his thinking," Rosenthal wrote. "Perhaps his hesitancy will extend to an extension for Crochet, who is under club control for two more seasons."
Maybe Henry will surprise us and choose to spend – he did go as high as $700 million in the Soto bidding war, after all – but committing to a 25-year-old with limited starting pitching experience might be too big of a gamble for an owner with a proven track record of risk aversion.
And don't forget: we just saw lefty pitchers Max Fried ($218 million), Blake Snell ($182 million) and Carlos Rodón ($162 million) get paid the big bucks recently. Why would Crochet agree to cut off his free agency at the knees?
So, enjoy Crochet while you can, Red Sox fans. He may not be around for long.
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