The Boston Red Sox may have gone out and acquired a new ace in Garrett Crochet this winter, but they already had an All-Star in their rotation last season.
Tanner Houck broke out in a big way in 2024, posting a 3.12 ERA and 1.142 WHIP across 30 starts. He set career highs across the board, all with a WAR nearly twice as high as the next closest Red Sox pitcher.
The 28-year-old righty made it clear last fall that he was open to signing a contract extension to remain in Boston long-term. However, it appears no progress has been made on that front over the past four months.
Houck told the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham that the Red Sox have not approached him about an extension.
“I plan to play this game for a long time, I’ll be fine,” Houck said, per Abraham. “But if you’re asking me if I’d like to stay here, sure I would. I love it here.”
As things stand, Houck is on track to hit free agency after the 2027 campaign. He was arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, ultimately settling for a $3.95 million salary for 2025.
Houck’s market value, according to Spotrac, is roughly $112 million over six years.
Prior to his emergence as an All-Star, Houck put up a 5.01 ERA, 1.368 WHIP and 1.3 WAR in 2023 while recovering from a facial fracture. Between 2020 and 2022, he boasted a 3.02 ERA, 1.123 WHIP and 4.5 WAR across 145.0 innings of work.
Crochet, who was selected as the Red Sox’s Opening Day starter over Houck, is also waiting on an extension from the front office. The 25-year-old is slated to hit free agency at the end of the 2026 season.
Per Spotrac, Crochet is worth a six-year, $131 million contract coming off his own All-Star appearance with the Chicago White Sox.
It remains to be seen if or when the Red Sox are willing to commit nearly $250 million to their top-two starting pitchers, having already signed Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55 million deal.
