Red Sox Urged to Extend All-Star Ace Before It’s ‘Too Late’

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 13: Garrett Crochet #45 of the Chicago White Sox pitches during the first inning Mariners at T-Mobile Park on June 13, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Many Boston Red Sox fans are still holding out hope that the team can sign two-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman before the offseason concludes.

Everyone from manager Alex Cora to franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers has chimed in on the possibility of landing the longtime member of the Houston Astros, though “Raffy’s” response was cryptic.

To this point, one of, if not the biggest winter pick up in Beantown has been the December trade for lefty starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. The 25-year-old will earn just $2.9 million in 2025, will be eligible for salary arbitration in 2026 and isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after that season.

Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer included Crochet in his Wednesday post “Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and 10 Star Players MLB Teams Must Extend Before It’s Too Late.” He argued that the Red Sox were among the teams “that ought to have a sense of urgency,” as the southpaw is one of the “young building blocks who can only get more expensive.”

Possible Crochet Contract Extension ‘Eminently Doable’ for Red Sox

Crochet was originally selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 34th round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft, before playing at the University of Tennessee. Crochet was then chosen as the 11th overall pick in 2020 by the Chicago White Sox and made his big-league debut that September.

He pitched 54 games (all out of Chicago’s bullpen) during his 2021 rookie campaign, finishing 3-5 with a career-low 2.52 ERA, as well as 1.27 WHIP and 65 strikeouts over 54 1/3 innings. Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery in early April 2022, causing him to miss that entire season and delaying his 2023 debut until mid-May.

He was limited to 13 relief appearances in 2023 before shifting to the rotation in 2024 and breaking out last season.

Despite finishing 6-12 on a historically bad White Sox club, Crochet also recorded a 3.58 ERA, career-best 1.06 WHIP and 209 strikeouts (fourth-most in AL) across 146 innings pitched covering 32 starts. He was named the June AL Pitcher of the Month, made his first All-Star team in July and earned the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

“Crochet is with the Red Sox now, and any willingness they have to deal with Crochet must be tempered. He is a Tommy John survivor, and one with only 219 innings in the majors,” Rymer wrote. “The No. 1 upside is clearly there, however, and now is a decent time for a dice-roll on the Red Sox’s part. If they wait and Crochet has another monster year, settling with just one season between him and free agency surely won’t be on his mind.”

The Bleacher Report scribe placed Crochet’s chances of a contract extension in Boston as “high” on his “probability meter.”

“There isn’t much here in the way of ambiguity. The Red Sox have reportedly discussed an extension with Crochet, whose interest is mutual,” Rymer said. “A deal should be eminently doable for the Red Sox. They could even extend Crochet for $30 million per year and still have breathing room under the luxury tax threshold for 2025.”

Crochet Expected to Lead Revamped Red Sox Starting Rotation

The former first-round pick is among three newcomers who could be prominent members of the Red Sox starting rotation.

Along with Crochet, two-time All-Star Walker Buehler joined Boston in December and is slated to be one of the top starters on the squad. Lefty Patrick Sandoval is the other first-year Boston starter and could be a sixth starter or depth piece.

Crochet and Buehler will likely be joined in the starting five by the team’s three holdovers — Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and 2024 All-Star Tanner Houck. One-time All-Star starting pitcher Lucas Giolito signed with the Red Sox in January 2024 but missed all of last year after undergoing UCL surgery. Giolito (like Sandoval) could be another option as a sixth starter or long reliever.