Boston Red Sox Finalize Blockbuster Trade For Chicago White Sox Ace Garrett Crochet

Garrett Crochet is set to follow in the footsteps of Chris Sale, heading from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade on Wednesday.

May 26, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have acquired left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet in a trade with the Chicago White Sox, the teams announced Wednesday afternoon.

The Boston Globe's Julian Mack was first to report that the deal was close.

As was first reported by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox got catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez back as part of the deal.

Teel is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Boston's farm system and the No. 25 prospect in baseball, while Montgomery is ranked No. 5 in the organization and No. 54 overall. Meidroth and Gonzalez are ranked No. 11 and No. 14 among the Red Sox's top prospects, respectively.

Crochet will head to Boston coming off his first All-Star campaign in Chicago. The 25-year-old southpaw went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.068 WHIP, 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.1 WAR across 32 starts in 2024.

After initially breaking into the big leagues in 2020, Crochet became a staple in the White Sox's bullpen in 2021. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, though, and was eased back into things as a reliever once again in 2023.

Crochet boasts a 3.29 ERA, 1.155 WHIP, 294 strikeouts and a 5.9 WAR in his big league career, but he has tossed just 219.0 innings at the MLB level.

Regardless, the Red Sox have gone all-in on Crochet as a key member of their rotation in 2025 and beyond. He is set to join a rotation that features Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello at the top, plus a handful of other options in Kutter Crawford, Lucas Giolito, Richard Fitts and Michael Fulmer.

Crochet is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. MLB Trade Rumors projected him to earn $2.9 million in arbitration in 2025, barring a contract extension that resets the table.

This isn't the first time the Red Sox have sent a boatload of top prospects to the White Sox in return for their ace, either. They did so in December 2016 as well, acquiring Chris Sale at the height of his stardom.

Sale went on to win the 2018 World Series with Boston, so surely the Red Sox are hoping to recreate that magic with the Crochet deal eight years later.

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