On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox traded for All-Star left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet from the White Sox in exchange for four prospects. This trade gave the White Sox a better deal than what was available at the trade deadline in July.
For the Red Sox, who were still in need of more pitching, the move came quickly after they lost out on free agent lefty Max Fried, who signed with the New York Yankees.
“We feel like we got a legitimate No. 1 starter in Garrett, left-handed, with a lot of swing-and-miss stuff, and tons of strikeouts. We believe his best years are still ahead of him,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “Adding him to our rotation will bring more depth and quality.”
In return, the White Sox received catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez, and outfielder Braden Montgomery, as part of the trade announced during the winter meetings.
Last season, Crochet was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for the White Sox, a team that finished with a 41-121 record, the most losses by any team since 1900. The 25-year-old was selected for the AL All-Star team in his first season as a starter.
“What he did last season was excellent,” said White Sox general manager Chris Getz. “But when you look at the long-term health of the organization, this trade helps us add talent that we’re really excited about.”
Getz noted that many teams were interested in Crochet, and about five teams seemed like they could complete a deal. The Red Sox had shown interest in the hard-throwing lefty over the summer as well.
“Discussions really heated up last night with the Red Sox, and we continued them through the morning,” Getz said. “It was clear they were motivated, and we made a match. Both clubs should feel good about the return.”
The trade occurred just a day after Max Fried signed with the Yankees for an eight-year, $218 million contract, the largest ever given to a left-handed pitcher.
“We came here a few days ago thinking we needed to improve our rotation,” Breslow said. “If we had only looked at one option, we would have closed ourselves off from other opportunities. There are still great players and starting pitchers available on the free agent market, and we’re having talks with teams about trade targets.”
Before the trade, Boston’s starting rotation was expected to have five pitchers: Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock, and Lucas Giolito.
Four-time All-Star Corbin Burnes, a right-hander who went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts for the Orioles this year, remains a free agent.
Crochet had an $800,000 salary this year and is eligible for arbitration this offseason and next. He can become a free agent after the 2027 World Series.
Selected 11th overall by the White Sox in the 2020 draft, Crochet made his major league debut that September. He had a 2.82 ERA in 2021 while striking out 65 batters in 54 1/3 innings. However, he underwent Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and didn’t return to the majors until May 18, 2023.
This past season, Crochet’s sinker averaged 97.9 mph, and his four-seam fastball was clocked at 97.2 mph. He also throws a cutter, sweeper, and changeup.
Teel is ranked as Boston’s No. 4 prospect by MLB.com, Meidroth is No. 11, Gonzalez is No. 14, and Montgomery is No. 54.
“This trade is about speeding up the rebuild,” Getz said. “We think this can help us do that.” This deal is similar to one made in the 2016 winter meetings when the White Sox traded Chris Sale to the Red Sox for four prospects.
Sale was traded to Atlanta last December after making only 31 starts for the Red Sox from 2021-23. He missed the 2020 season and most of 2021 due to Tommy John surgery. He made just two starts in 2022 after fracturing a rib and breaking his left pinkie. He then broke his right wrist in August 2023, ending his final season with Boston.
Sale went on to win the National League Cy Young Award this season with an 18-3 record, 225 strikeouts, and a 2.38 ERA in 29 starts, which was the best in the majors. He was also named the NL Comeback Player of the Year.
The prospects sent to Chicago in the 2016 deal included current Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech and infielder Yoán Moncada, who is now a free agent after eight seasons with the White Sox.
