Red Sox get their ace, acquire LHP Garrett Crochet from White Sox

Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald on Dec 11, 2024

Published in Baseball

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BOSTON — The Red Sox have found their ace.

After losing out on Max Fried to the New York Yankees on Tuesday, the Red Sox finally made their big move for a No. 1 starter, acquiring left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for four top prospects, a team source confirmed prior to the official announcement.

The White Sox will receive catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez.

Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe was first to report the news of the trade.

Crochet is widely regarded as one of the top young starting pitchers in baseball, and at 25 years old he is only now entering his prime. Last season he successfully transitioned from the bullpen to the starting rotation and posted dominant numbers, striking out 209 batters over 146 innings while recording a 3.58 ERA.

Given that he only recently returned from Tommy John surgery and had never pitched more than 54 1/3 innings in a big league season, the White Sox heavily managed his innings down the stretch. Over the first three months of the season he tallied 101 1/3 innings in 18 starts, but from July 1 onwards he never pitched more than four innings in an outing, finishing with 44 2/3 innings in his last 14 starts.

The expectation is now he should be built up for a full season’s workload, potentially positioning Crochet as a Cy Young candidate in his first season in Boston. Crochet also has two years of team control remaining and won’t hit free agency until after the 2026 season.

But the lefty came with a significant price.

Teel was one of Boston’s “Big Four” prospects and was widely regarded as the club’s catcher of the future. Selected No. 14 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, Teel currently ranks as the No. 25 prospect in all of baseball, though also only as the No. 4 prospect in the Red Sox system behind Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.

That the Red Sox were able to make the trade without giving up another player from that group, or young big league standouts like Wilyer Abreu or Triston Casas, is a huge win.

Boston also gave up its first-round pick from this past summer’s draft in Montgomery, who the club selected No. 12 overall. Montgomery is the Red Sox’s No. 5 prospect according to Baseball America and ranks No. 59 in the sport, but the former Texas A&M standout never appeared in a game for a Red Sox affiliate. Montgomery suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the College World Series and spent the summer rehabbing after he was drafted.

Meidroth is Boston’s No. 8 prospect, per Baseball America, and is coming off a terrific season in Triple-A where he batted .293 while posting a .437 on-base percentage. Meidroth boasts an exceptional batting eye, drawing 105 walks versus 71 strikeouts, and also saw significant time at second base, shortstop and third base with the WooSox. He and Teel could immediately see big league action with the White Sox, who are coming off one of the worst seasons in MLB history.

Gonzalez, Boston’s No. 14 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, has long been regarded as one of the club’s top pitching prospects but is coming off a rocky 2024 in which he posted a 4.73 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 46 walks in 83 2/3 innings at Double-A Portland. It’s unclear at this point whether he’ll ultimately stick as a starter or move to the bullpen once he reaches the majors.

The trade is without question the most impactful addition the Red Sox have made in years, and also echoes the original acquisition of Chris Sale, also a high-performing left-hander who arrived via the White Sox. Though Sale’s tenure proved rocky in the long run, his first two seasons in Boston were dominant, and the Red Sox no doubt hope Crochet can be similarly impactful as the club eyes a return to championship relevance.

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