Braves Miss Out on Acquiring White Sox Pitcher Garrett Crochet: Report

The Chicago White Sox agreed to trade left-hander Garrett Crochet on Wednesday but not to the Atlanta Braves.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Another starting pitcher went off the board early Wednesday afternoon. This time, it happened via a trade.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported the Boston Red Sox have acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox.

This offseason, pundits linked the Atlanta Braves as a possible trade destination for Crochet. The Braves lost left-handed ace Max Fried to the New York Yankees through free agency Tuesday. It's also unclear whether veteran starter Charlie Morton will return in 2025.

But Crochet will stay in the American League, as he changes his color of sox.

Crochet made his first All-Star team during the 2024 campaign. He posted a 6-12 record but that was for the record-setting White Sox, who lost 121 games this past season. Crochet recorded a 3.58 ERA and 1.068 WHIP with 209 strikeouts in 146 innings across 32 starts.

Rumors linked Crochet to the Braves not just because he was a potential Fried replacement, but because of his affordable contract. Spotrac estimated that Crochet will make $2.9 million after arbitration for the 2025 season. He is also under team control for the 2026 campaign.

The dominoes are really just beginning to fall in MLB free agency this week at the league winter meetings. However, several starting pitchers have gone off the market in the last couple days. In addition to Fried, potential Braves target Nathan Eovaldi agreed to re-sign with the Texas Rangers.

Former Cy Young winner Blake Snell signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers early in free agency. Furthermore, reliable starters such as Matt Boyd and Alex Cobb are also off the market.

That doesn't leave the Braves a plethora of other realistic options with Crochet headed to Boston. So, it's quite possible Braves Country may be growing a little impatient Wednesday afternoon.

If Morton doesn't return, the Braves have 339.2 innings in their starting rotation to replace from 2024. That replacement won't be Crochet.