The Boston Red Sox should be all in to land one of the top available starting pitchers this winter to build a competitive roster for 2025.
This year's rotation fell apart in the second half of the season, leaving the Red Sox without a bonified ace. For Boston to get on the right track, it must acquire a reliable starter, such as Blake Snell, Max Fried or Corbin Burnes.
However, the market for starting pitching will be hypercompetitive, so perhaps Boston should be open to making a trade for one of the league's most promising young pitchers.
"While the (Chicago) White Sox haven't completely been stripped for parts, they're on their way, with (Garret) Crochet primed to be moved," ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote Friday morning when discussing Chicago's offseason agenda. "The perfect transaction: Trade left-hander Garrett Crochet to Boston."
Crochet logged a 6-12 record with a 3.58 ERA, 209-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .222 batting average against and a 1.07 WHIP in 146 innings pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2024.
The 25-year-old began to turn heads this season and quickly became one of the most-coveted trade targets at this summer's deadline. Sadly for contending teams interested in Crochet, he informed them that he wouldn't pitch in the postseason, leading to the All-Star finishing 2024 with the 121-loss White Sox.
At such a young age, Crochet is already mustering a projected market value of roughly $129 million over a seven-year deal, translating to nearly $18 million annually, according to Spotrac.
If Boston can't acquire Snell, Fried or Burnes, trading for Crochet could be a solid backup plan. Landing the talented southpaw won't come cheap in prospect capital, so Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow must weigh the organization's future when deciding this offseason.
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