The Boston Red Sox are close to acquiring left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe, who was first to report the deal was close, wrote on Twitter/X that the return to Chicago includes prospect Kyle Teel, a 22-year-old catcher.
Source: The Red Sox are on the verge of trading for Garrett Crochet. The deal includes top prospect Kyle Teel. None of the other big name prospects.
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) December 11, 2024According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the deal is "in the medical phase" and "trending toward" becoming official.
In his first full year as a starting pitcher, Crochet had a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts, and an outstanding 209 strikeouts in 146 innings, and made the American League All-Star team.
The White Sox, who are rebuilding their roster after losing a modern-record 121 games in 2024, could use the prospect haul more than they could use a rotation ace. And the Red Sox, who are looking to climb back into contention in the American League East, could use a front-line starter after losing out in the race to sign Max Fried.
Tuesday, the Yankees reportedly agreed to terms with Fried on an eight-year, $218 million contract. Fried was the best left-handed pitcher available on the free agent market. Crochet provided a logical alternative to the Red Sox, who have a relatively strong farm system to trade from.
Teel was the 14th overall selection in the 2023 draft. He split the 2024 season between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing .255/.374/.343 in 28 games after the promotion to Worcester.
Crochet finished among the Top 5 in the American League in strikeouts, games started, and finished eighth in Baseball Reference's version of Wins Above Replacement for pitchers. Crochet's 2.69 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) was third in MLB among all pitchers who threw at least 140 innings in 2024.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
English (US) ·