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For much of the start of the offseason, things seemed eerily similar for the Boston Red Sox. They were in the running for big names like Juan Soto and Max Fried, but ultimately ended up falling just short when all was said and done. For fans of the team, it was a tale that had become well-rehearsed over the past few years.
And then, things took a stunning turn on Wednesday when the team pulled off a blockbuster trade for Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet from seemingly out of nowhere. The price was steep, as the Sox sent over four of their top 14 prospects, including catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, but the reward was an ace who can come in and lead their starting rotation for years to come.
This is the sort of move the Red Sox have needed to make for years, and they finally delivered the goods on Wednesday. And yet, there's still work to be done, and in order for the front office to deliver on their promise of their big offseason, they are going to have to open up their checkbook, especially now that they have Crochet at their disposal.
Red Sox still have work to do after trading for Garrett Crochet trade
After exceeding expectations last season, it quickly became clear that Boston wasn't as far away from being a playoff contender as initially expected. With a strong farm system and several players graduating to the majors in 2024, plus a ton of money at their disposal, this offseason will end up being pivotal when determining what the future of this franchise looks like.
Boston finally cashed in on their deep farm system by picking up Crochet, as they sent Teel, Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez to the White Sox. Teel and Montgomery were both among Boston's top five prospects, and while losing them hurts, established talent is better than potential talent, especially considering how evaluating talent in the MLB is such a crapshoot.
Crochet is certainly established talent that is worth trading for. He enjoyed a spectacular breakout campaign in 2024 with a miserable White Sox team, as he posted a 3.58 earned run average while racking up 209 strikeouts over just 146 innings of work. His strong play earned him the first All-Star selection of his career, and he should only improve now that he won't be playing for one of the worst teams in the history of the league.
Crochet checks all the boxes for Boston. He's only 25 years old, and has two years of team control left, which is huge for a team that still has not spent any sort of money this offseason. Plus, he's a lefty who can add some diversity to a starting rotation that almost exclusively featured right-handed pitchers last season.
And yet, there's still reason for concern in the wake of this trade. As just noted, the Red Sox, despite having hundreds of millions of dollars to play with, as seen during their pursuit of Soto, have not signed a free agent of note aside from veteran left-handed flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. And with Crochet set to need an extension in the near future now, that's a very worrying development.
Yes, Boston was in on Soto and Fried, but they were once again outbid for their services. There are still big name free agents out there, but they don't seem interested in paying a huge fee to land them. Their rotation could certainly use Corbin Burnes, but the team's interest in him has waned in the wake of trading for Crochet. That hasn't stopped the team from continuing to pursue another trade for pitching, as reports have suggested they are working on a deal with the Seattle Mariners.
At some point, money will need to be spent. They still have prospects to trade in the wake of the Crochet deal, and it's better to get rid of some of them rather than creating a logjam in the majors. But they cannot afford to just throw their farm system away on trades. At some point they are going to have to use their money to bring in talent.
Alex Bregman has been heavily linked to the Sox in recent days, and yet, the front office cannot get out of their own way to sign him. While manager Alex Cora wants him, president of baseball operations Craig Breslow is worried about the prospect of handing him a big deal. At some point, though, the team is going to have to push the envelope if they want to truly improve their roster.
In a way, they did that with the Crochet trade, as giving up both Teel and Montgomery in this deal is not something that can be overlooked. But they cannot simply sit on that deal and call it a day. The trade talks with the Mariners are encouraging, but there are still several free agents out there who this team should be throwing money at. Bregman is one, and it feels like either Teoscar Hernandez or Anthony Santander should be on that list too.
Adding Crochet is a huge win for the Red Sox, but in order for this team to truly emerge as a contender, they need to follow it up with a couple more moves. Spending money remains something the front office is wary of doing, but in order for them to reach their main goals, it will have to be done, and here's hoping they realize that before it's too late.
