The Red Sox may have watched the White Sox get real mileage out of the return pieces, but that does not make the Garrett Crochet trade a mistake.
Boston was in the market for pitching before the 2025 season and landed the left-hander in a move that looks even better when you line it up against the alternatives. The Red Sox were in the mix for Max Fried before he signed with the New York Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million deal.
Fried is 32 now and has already logged two seasons with the Yankees. Crochet is 27.
That age gap matters, and so does the production Crochet delivered in 2025. He made 32 starts, posted a 2.59 ERA and piled up a 255-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 205 1/3 innings. He led the league in strikeouts and innings pitched and finished second to Tarik Skubal in the Cy Young Award race.
The 2026 season gave critics some ammunition. Crochet missed most of the year, and Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery and Chase Meidroth all made noise for Chicago in the playoffs. That kind of recent success can make a deal feel lopsided in the moment, especially when the player Boston acquired is sidelined.
But Crochet’s season-ending absence doesn’t erase what he has been, or what Boston has secured going forward. He got healthy enough to pitch in a playoff game, which is a promising sign as he heads into 2027. And the Red Sox have him locked up on a six-year, $170 million extension.
That contract detail matters too. Crochet originally had an opt-out after the 2030 season, but because he missed more than 120 days with a left arm injury, that opt-out is gone.
In its place, Boston now has a $15 million conditional club option for 2032. The injury hurt the Red Sox in the standings, but it also extended the team’s control over Crochet.
The other names in the deal have their supporters, but Boston’s roster context undercuts the panic. Teel played 39 regular-season games because of an injury and is hitting .235/.278/.235 in the playoffs.
The Red Sox already have Adley Rutschman at catcher. Montgomery appeared in 93 regular-season games and hit .226/.312/.350 with six home runs.
Meidroth had a strong 2026, playing in 154 games and batting .276/.350/.415 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs, and he has carried that form into the playoffs, but Boston has Curtis Mead lined up to be the club’s second baseman in 2027.
For now, the biggest talent in the trade is still Crochet. He had a rough break with the injury in 2026, but that alone is not enough to turn this into a bad deal for Boston.
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