One of the largest trade targets of the Major League Baseball offseason has two standout contenders, according to top MLB insiders.
In a historically tragic season for the Chicago White Sox, one bright spot stood out. All-Star lefthanded pitcher Garret Crochet emerged as a frontline starter, and is expected to draw trade interest across both leagues.
"I think it's a slam dunk he's going to be traded, and the two teams I'm watching are the Mets and the Red Sox." MLB insider Buster Olney said on ESPN's Baseball Tonight podcast. In that same podcast, ESPN's Jeff Passan added, "Teams that are trying to acquire Crochet know that he will sign an extension."
Both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets have starting pitching needs, for very different reasons. The Mets have three key starting pitchers -- Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, and Sean Manaea (pending a player option) -- facing free agency. Each of those three hurlers made more than 30 starts for the Mets in 2024, combining for 534 innings throughout the season.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, have little starting pitching prowess to begin with, and have now fallen short of the postseason in five of the last six seasons. In 2024, just 35% of the Red Sox's starts were considered quality starts, falling below league average, and their 82 pitches per start also had them below the MLB average.
Simply put: The Mets need starting pitching to maintain their place as a postseason powerhouse; the Red Sox need starting pitching to get themselves back into postseason contention.
Following a shaky April which saw the lefthander make seven starts, Crochet posted a 2.83 ERA with a 162-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a .222 batting average against in his final 25 starts and 111 and a third innings pitched of the year.
It goes without saying that either team would benefit from Crochet's services, as would any team for that matter. The cost of acquisition, however, will not be cheap, both in terms of a trade package and the extension Crochet expects upon being traded.
More MLB: Red Sox Extend $21 Million Offer To Middling Hurler Over Key Outfielder
English (US) ·