Red Sox Named Potential Fit for Left-handed Ace

The Boston Red Sox might be 14 games back of the New York Yankees in the American League East, but they are also just a couple key acquisitions away from making a real playoff push. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden speculates that while the Red Sox look for starting pitching, White Sox hurler Garrett Crochet could be a fit.

In a story published June 13, Bowden lays out priorities for each team at the trade deadline, “based on what [he’s] hearing in conversations with people across the game.”

Bowden adds, “The Red Sox are looking to acquire more starting pitching and would love to add a left-hander to their mix.” He then lists Crochet, JP Sears, Tyler Anderson, and Jesús Luzardo as possibilities.

Crochet might be the toughest of the bunch for Boston to land. The White Sox lefty still has two years of team control and has been one of the most valuable players in baseball in relation to his salary. Crochet is making just $800,000 in 2024, per Spotrac, but has a 3.33 ERA across 14 starts, good for a 2.7 bWAR.

As one of the few bright spots in what has been a miserable season for Chicago, Crochet’s asking price will be high and his suitors plenty. And that’s if the White Sox want to trade him at all. They may see the lefty as a piece to build around, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today said on June 10 that the White Sox are “unlikely” to deal their ace.

Garrett Crochet’s Innings Limit

There’s another factor that could impact Crochet’s deadline destiny and that is how deep into the season he could even pitch.

“It’s also a longshot any contender would overwhelm the White Sox with a package of prospects knowing that he may be on an innings limit with his injury history,” Nightengale wrote. “The White Sox are closely monitoring his workload after converting him from a reliever to a starter. His availability may be limited in the second half, and it’s questionable whether he would even pitch in September or October.”

Crochet missed the entire 2022 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Last year, his comeback stalled due to a shoulder injury.

The southpaw is at 75.2 innings so far, which is already a career high since he turned pro. With 48 days until the trade deadline, he’s on track to make maybe eight or nine more starts, so if a team does acquire him, there’s no guarantee he will be effective.

A Move for the Future

While Crochet’s availability in the final weeks of the season may be unknown, this is not a mere rental for a contending team to make a postseason push. If the Red Sox were to trade for Crochet, this would benefit them in 2025 and 2026 as well.

The question is what Boston is willing to deal in order to land a guy who can anchor an underwhelming rotation for years to come. Their farm system is loaded with high-upside hitters and surprisingly bereft of pitching. Considering the Red Sox have finished in the bottom five of staff ERA in the American League in three of the past four years, they should be willing to part with a hitting prospect or two to land a big arm.