Since acquiring prized southpaw Garrett Crochet from the White Sox for a spate of prospects in December, the Boston Red Sox have made extending the pitcher beyond his remaining two years of team control a top priority. The club reportedly initiated extension talks in early January, and at the time, Crochet expressed interest in a deal.
But in a weekend interview with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Crochet confirmed that he does not plan to continue extension discussions once the regular season begins on March 27.
“For me personally, once the season starts, I would like for whatever conversations are currently being had to be placed on the back burner until the following offseason,” said Crochet. “We have a big season ahead of us, and we’re trying to do a lot of special things. I don’t want to be a distraction for the team in any way.”
Crochet has missed a lot of the early part of his career due to injuries, so it’s understandable if the Red Sox are also hesitant to offer him a long-term deal without demonstrating a full season of success.
“Garrett has been outspoken about being at least interested in exploring whether or not there’s the opportunity to pursue this relationship longer term,” Breslow said in February. “I have as well.”
Walker Buehler is the other new name at the top of the Red Sox rotation entering the 2025 season. Buehler signed a one-year, $21,050,000 contract with the Red Sox in December, including a $3,050,000 signing bonus.
