The 2024 season started out for the Red Sox with an eye-opening run through the team’s pitching rotation, in which it seemed that each hurler’s performance was a bit better than the one before.
But the MLB season closed with a rotation that had its lack of depth and dearth of topline talent exposed, making it impossible for the team to stay in contention, especially as injuries piled up.
That will have to change in 2025. Obviously, renewed heath would go a long way toward helping that. This year’s presumed ace, free-agent signee Lucas Giolito, did not pitch an inning for Boston before suffering a season-ending elbow injury, but there is hope that he will return to the mound next season.
Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford all showed promise, especially early in 2024, but none has the makeup of an ace. Garrett Whitlock threw four terrific starts for Boston (1.96 ERA) but also went out with an elbow injury, and won’t be ready to start next season.
Overall, the rotation took steps forward. But there is still no clear No. 1. With owner John Henry’s unwillingness to spend on free-agent pitchers, analyst Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors offers a way forward for the Red Sox: Trade for White Sox breakout star Garrett Crochet.
Red Sox ‘Have the Pieces’ to Trade for a Pitcher
Crochet is still only 25 years old and has two more years of arbitration ahead of him after this season. He had one of the wildest 2024 seasons of any pitcher, recovering from a rocky start with a dominant showing in May and June, when he logged 11 starts and went 5-2 with a 1.49 ERA.
Wrote Dierkes: “Boston’s 2025 rotation lacks depth, but also lacks a true ace. I’m not there with Houck, who should have an ERA around 4.00 if he shows the same skills next year. Of course, many teams are lacking an ace, and the only real advice I can come up with is to trade for Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox do have the pieces to be able to do that.”
Crochet could come cheaper than expected. Outside of the two months of dominance, he pretty much showed his true colors—he’s a converted reliever who has long been injury-prone. After the All-Star break, Crochet went 0-6 with a 5.12 ERA and a WHIP of 1.397, worries stats for a guy who had a 0.950 WHIP before the break.
Garrett Crochet Struggled With Injuries
Hard to say what the White Sox could command for Crochet, who got the kid-glove treatment down the stretch because he had thrown a total of 217 innings in his last six years pitching, including college.
Injury concerns about Crochet go back a long way. After a successful debut first full season working out of the bullpen in 2021, Crochet missed all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He made only 25 appearances, all in relief, in 2023 as he was further dealing with recovery.
Crochet came into 2024 with 73 total big-league innings to his credit, and zero starts. He looked outstanding at times this season, but those showings were sporadic and he is a major injury risk. When he is ready to sign a contract extension, the folks at Spotrac have him projected to land a hefty six-year deal worth $128 million.
Trading for Crochet would be a gamble. But injuries and inconsistency could make him a gamble the Red Sox can afford.
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