White Sox general manager Chris Getz was asked Friday about the six-year, $170 million contract extension Boston gave former South Side left-hander Garrett Crochet.
“That's a lot of money,” Getz said. “I'm happy for him, I really am. I'm happy for the White Sox too. We brought back some players that we're really excited about.”
Well, yeah, the White Sox have made a recent habit of trading away their best pitchers, whether it was Crochet in December or Dylan Cease or Lucas Giolito or Chris Sale. Any amount of money for a decent starting pitcher would seem to be a bit much.
A few minutes later in the visiting dugout, Crochet met with reporters and was complimentary of his White Sox tenure, but he was also well aware of where these two franchises stand.
“For me, it was not very hard to move on, especially going to the Red Sox, such a storied franchise,” Crochet said. “I was excited, quite frankly, and I still am about what this team can accomplish this season.
“Nothing against Chicago, but that home opener (at Fenway Park) was electric. That was one of the coolest games I've been a part of.”
Trading for Crochet wasn't even Boston's biggest move of the offseason, arguably. The Red Sox also added two-time World Series champ Alex Bregman at third base, outbidding the Cubs and a few other teams for his services.
“We went out and got Bregman, Raffy (Rafael Devers) has won a World Series, (Walker) Buehler's won a World Series,” Crochet said. “It felt like it was the big leagues, you know?”
Crochet is scheduled to pitch against his old team Sunday, facing the Sox' newest pitching sensation, Shane Smith. In his first three starts with Boston, Crochet is 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA.
Asked if there were any contract discussion with the White Sox before the trade happened, Crochet answered: “Not really. We approached the topic, but it never really got off the ground.”
Crochet seems to be making all the right moves lately. The No. 11 overall draft pick by the White Sox in 2020 successfully lobbied to switch from reliever to starter, then cautioned teams not to make a trade last summer and expect him to pitch into the postseason without an extension.
“There's all this buildup (about a trade), even going back before the deadline,” he said. “Once it actually went through, it was like dunking your head in a bowl of ice water. It just happened so quickly.
“In the business, unless you're (Paul) Konerko or (Jason) Varitek, you don't really wear one color your entire career. So for me right now, I'm just happy to be a Red Sox.”
