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The Boston Red Sox made a big move during he Winter Meetings when they traded four prospects to the Chicago White Sox for ace left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet. Even though he pitched for the worst team in the history of modern Major League Baseball, Crochet established himself as a pitcher with dominant stuff who has the talent to become a team's ace.
The left-handed starter is eager to pitch for manager Alex Cora and the Red Sox in front of their supportive fan base. “It’s an electric atmosphere and the fans are knowledgeable about baseball, and not every fanbase can say that,” he said. “That along with, they expect you to win and they expect you to be great because they’ve seen it before. And that’s the main thing I’m looking forward to.”
The Red Sox are hoping to make some additional moves throughout the offseason. They could be interested in adding another pitcher as well as at least one more bat to add to the lineup. The Red Sox were in the market for Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves, but they were outbid by the New York Yankees.
They could get involved in bidding for Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes or they could find a trade partner for another hurler.
Crochet is the big Red Sox addition to this point
However, until the Red Sox find a new pitcher to add to the fold, Crochet will get the majority of the attention.
He said he hopes to be a much different type of pitcher than he was for the White Sox. When he took the mound for Chicago, he was often limited in pitch count or innings. He does not want to be held back or protected when he pitches for the Red Sox.
“It was frustrating in a lot of ways, but at the same time, I understood the usage concerns,” he said, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “Going from 12 to 100 (innings) would be seen as a big jump and just even being that close to 150 (innings) is a lot greater. There were a lot of things I was working on in the second half that I felt like I could have expanded had the innings been a little bit more normal.
“In terms of how long my leash will be, I hope to not even be wearing a collar come the second half next year.”
The Red Sox sent former first-round picks catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, along with infielder Chase Meidroth and starter Wikelman Gonzalez to Chicago for a chance to raise their American League East profile.
