Insiders Predict Red Sox Will Pull Off Blockbuster Trade For All-Star Flamethrower

The biggest move of the winter?

May 22, 2018; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A general view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves laying in the dugout at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The ingredients are present for the Boston Red Sox to make a blockbuster trade this winter. Will they actually put one on the hot stove?

The Red Sox have a ton of talent, and it's clear that not all the talent can coexist on the active roster. The lineup is far too left-handed, the infield defense isn't very good outside of oft-injured shortstop Trevor Story, and the rotation is full of number-three starters.

With that in mind, the Red Sox have talent to shop in young big-leaguers like outfielder Wilyer Abreu, first baseman Triston Casas, and Kutter Crawford. Trading any of those three only makes sense if the Red Sox can land an ace starting pitcher, and a pair of insiders believe that goal can be achieved.

Insiders Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive both predicted that the Red Sox would acquire Chicago White Sox All-Star Garrett Crochet as their "biggest trade" of the winter in a shared column on Monday.

"The Red Sox turned to the White Sox when they needed a left-handed ace to put them over the edge eight years ago. Why not do it again now? Crochet is 25 and has a ton of upside even if he doesn’t have a long track record of success in the big leagues," Cotillo said.

"He’s controllable through 2026 but is a prime extension candidate; the Red Sox would likely want to talk to him about a long-term deal before pulling the trigger on a deal."

McAdam centered his argument for the trade around the fact that the Red Sox had already sniffed around the possibility of bringing in Crochet at the 2024 deadline.

"The Sox checked in on Crochet at the deadline, but Crochet’s comments about not pitching in the postseason without a contract extension made dealing him impossible. Without that complication, they find their elite starter in the offseason," McAdam said.

Crochet, 25, had a 4.1-WAR season and 209 strikeouts (34 more than any Red Sox pitcher) in just 146 innings. He's only had one season as a starter, and it will take a king's ransom to acquire him, but the potential is there for him to become the ace the Red Sox have awaited for much of the decade.

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