DALLAS (AP) — Garrett Crochet was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the White Sox on Wednesday for four prospects, giving Chicago a better deal for the All-Star left-hander than available at the trade deadline in July.
For the Red Sox, who are still seeking more pitching, it was a quick pivot after losing out on free agent lefty Max Fried to the rival New York Yankees.
“Feel like we got a legitimate No. 1 starter in Garrett, left-handed, ton of swing and miss, you know, massive strikeouts and feel like the best is still in front of him,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. “Adding him to the rotation, it adds depth, it adds quality."
Chicago got back catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth. right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez and outfielder Braden Montgomery in the trade announced during the winter meetings.
Crochet was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts for a White Sox team that went 41-121, the most losses for any club since 1900. The 25-year-old was picked for the AL All-Star team in his first season as a starter.
“What he did this past season was nothing short of excellent,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “But you look at, you know, the long-term health of the organization and to inject the type of talent that we just did in in this trade is really exciting for us.”
Getz said plenty of teams were interested in Crochet and there were about five he thought could get a deal done. Many, including Boston, had inquired about the hard-throwing lefty over the summer.
“Discussions really heated up last night with the Red Sox and we took that into the morning, and, you know, it was very clear that they were motivated," Getz said. “We wanted to get something done. And, you know, we made a match. ... Both clubs should feel really good about the return.”
The trade came a day after Fried agreed to join the Yankees for a $218 million, eight-year contract, the largest ever for a left-hander.
“We came here a few days ago thinking we needed to improve our rotation,” Breslow said. “If we exclusively looked down one path, we would be closed off from other options. I think that’s still the case. There’s still really good players, really good starting pitchers, left on the free agent market, and there are still conversations we’re having with teams as trade targets.”
Before the trade, Boston’s projected rotation had five starters: Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Garrett Whitlock and Lucas Giolito.
Among the free agents still on the market is four-time All-Star Corbin Burnes. The right-hander went 15-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts for the Orioles this year, his only season in Baltimore.
As for Crochet, he had an $800,000 salary this year. He is eligible for arbitration this offseason and next, and he can become a free agent after the 2027 World Series.
Selected 11th overall by Chicago in the 2020 amateur draft, Crochet made his big league debut that September. He had a 2.82 ERA in 2021 while striking out 65 in 54 1/3 innings, then had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022. He didn't return to the major leagues until May 18, 2023.
Crochet's sinker averaged 97.9 mph this season and his four-seam fastball 97.2. He also throws a cutter, sweeper and changeup.
Teel is rated Boston's No. 4 prospect by MLB.com, Meidroth No. 11, Gonzalez 14th and Montgomery 54th.
“Talk about accelerating a rebuild,” Getz said. “This was a deal that we feel like can do that."
This was similar to a deal struck between the two clubs during the 2016 winter meetings, when the White Sox traded then 27-year-old Chris Sale to the Red Sox for a hefty package of four prospects.
Atlanta acquired Sale in a trade last December after he made only 31 starts for the Red Sox from 2021-23. He missed the 2020 season and most of 2021 after Tommy John surgery. He made only two starts in 2022 after he fractured a rib and then broke his left pinkie. He broke his right wrist riding a bicycle in August 2023, ending his final season with Boston.
Sale was the National League Cy Young Award winner this season when he went 18-3, topped the NL with 225 strikeouts and had a 2.38 ERA over 29 starts that was the best among all major league qualifiers. The eight-time All-Star was also selected NL Comeback Player of the Year.
Boston rospects in that deal included current Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech and along with infielder Yoán Moncada, now a free agent after eight seasons with the White Sox.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press
