Craig Breslow made the first aggressive move of his Red Sox tenure when he traded four prospects to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Garrett Crochet.
The left-hander will likely become Boston’s ace as he fills a hole the team desperately needed. And while the Red Sox gave up top catching prospect Kyle Teel in the package, ESPN still gave the trade a B+.
“Let’s spin this trade in the best possible light: The Red Sox just obtained a potential 2025 and/or 2026 Cy Young winner without giving up any of their core big league contributors or one of their top three prospects,” Bradford Doolittle wrote. “If Crochet becomes the full version of what he flashed in 2024, no is going to question this trade.”
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Crochet is only 25 and still has some control on his contract. Doolittle admitted there is a “possible range of outcomes” for how the trade works out because Crochet has only been a starter for one season and 146 innings.
“And Crochet has an ugly history of injury, one that left him with just 73 big league innings entering last season. Despite that low innings count, Crochet has accrued more than four years of big league service time, meaning he hits free agency after 2026, barring an extension before then,” Doolittle wrote. “A lot of risk and a lot of prospect value for two controllable seasons. I still think it was worth it.”
A 2024 All-Star, Crochet made 32 starts and amassed a 3.58 ERA while striking out 209 batters.
