Garrett Crochet immediately became the Boston Red Sox’s ace after they traded for him during the 2024 Winter Meetings.
The lefty posted a great first season as a starting pitcher, to the tune of a 3.58 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP with 209 strikeouts in 146 innings of work. The White Sox limited him to 146 innings on the year to preserve his arm for any impending trades, and the move served Crochet well. He’s let up just one run and clocked 30 strikeouts in 15.2 innings of Grapefruit League action.
Crochet has already been named Boston’s No. 1 starter and seems primed for a stellar season in his new Sox (even though spring training stats don’t mean anything.) But still, the Red Sox haven’t signed him to a contract extension.
Crochet set a deadline for all extension negotiations to be completed or paused by Opening Day. On March 21, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the two sides are unlikely to come to a deal before any talks need to be postponed for another six to seven months. That delay will cost the Red Sox greatly.
Garrett Crochet going into 2025 season without an extension is worst case scenario for Red Sox
Boston should’ve extended Crochet before he even threw a ball for them this winter. The Red Sox’s best chance at a long-term deal was based on his 2024 stats, and if his value increases this coming season like it’s expected to, their odds of extending him will only decrease. Crochet may not have wanted to sign a deal without betting on himself for at least another year, but the Red Sox should’ve anticipated that and offered accordingly.
Now, if Crochet posts the full breakout season fans, reporters, and the team itself expect, he has no incentive to sign with Boston long-term. If the Red Sox don’t blow him out of the water with their offer, he can hit the free agent after another great season, at just 27 years old, and secure a $400 million-plus deal from the Dodgers or Mets, which the Sox would never match.
The Red Sox must extend Crochet to make trading four top prospects (Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Wikelman Gonzalez, Chase Meidroth) for him worth the price. They know it, and they surely know how highly coveted he’ll be as a free agent if they fail.
It’s well established that the men in charge in Boston don’t like dishing out long-term contracts to pitchers. They were burned by the Chris Sale deal and felt the same way about David Price. But the Red Sox front office needs to get over its fears and do the right thing before Crochet becomes the new highest-paid lefty pitcher in history by another team.
