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The Garrett Crochet sweepstakes is over; on Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox sealed the deal with the Chicago White Sox, acquiring the best cost-controlled starting pitcher on the trade market. It took quite the hefty price, however, for the Red Sox to acquire Crochet, parting ways with elite prospects Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery just to beat out the other suitors for the White Sox lefty, such as the New York Yankees and New York Mets.
All offseason long, it seems as though those three teams have been battling for the same players, most notably bidding against each other for Juan Soto's services. But the Red Sox put their feet down and said that they will be getting their man in Crochet, no matter the cost. In the end, however, it doesn't seem as though the Yankees and Mets came particularly close to the White Sox's asking price.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees refused to include Jasson Dominguez and George Lombard Jr. in any prospective trade offer for Crochet, while the Mets wouldn't part ways with Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat — putting them far away from contention for Crochet's services especially considering what the Red Sox traded away.
The Yankees have had high hopes for Dominguez for so long, and he figures to play a huge part in their lineup in 2025 with the departure of Soto. Meanwhile, Lombard may have struggled in High-A in 2024, but he's only 19 years old and is already showing major flashes of being a long-term contributor.
Meanwhile, the Mets would want to keep Williams, a shortstop who is on the precipice of breaking through in the big leagues. They have splurged elsewhere, which means that they will need cost-controlled talent in other positions, making Williams invaluable. Sproat is knocking on the MLB door as well, and considering their needs in the rotation, having the 24-year-old around could be worth the wait.
Red Sox beat out Yankees and Mets for Garrett Crochet — but was it worth it?
Of course, it's difficult to make a sweeping judgment as to whether or not the Red Sox's trade for Garrett Crochet is a resounding success. But trading for him does not come without its fair share of risks, and the Yankees and Mets acknowledged that.
Crochet may be just 25 years of age, but he is yet to endure a full starter's workload; in fact, for the final three months of 2024, he failed to pitch more than four innings in a single game. But the Red Sox are hoping that he is the next Chris Sale — a lefty with nasty stuff that transitioned seamlessly from the pen to the starting rotation for the long-term.
