Red Sox's Blockbuster Trade Acquisition Predicted To Win 1st Major Award In 2025

Could this be the year the Red Sox have a dominant starter?

Feb 23, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitching in the first inning of their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images / Chris Tilley-Imagn Images

It's been a while since the Boston Red Sox have known what it felt like to have an ace.

The last few seasons have been a struggle for the Red Sox from a starting pitching perspective. Even when the rotation improved statistically in 2024, they lacked a true number-one starter, which wound up wearing down the bullpen as the season went along.

Enter Garrett Crochet, who the Red Sox acquired via trade with the Chicago White Sox in December. The 25-year-old broke out as a first-time All-Star in 2024 and for at least the next two years, should be the Red Sox's number-one starter. But perhaps there's another accomplishment he can check off the list.

The last Red Sox pitcher to win a Cy Young Award, famously, was Rick Porcello in 2016. Chris Sale was an ace for the following two years, but since then, only one Red Sox has finished top-five in Cy Young voting: Nathan Eovaldi in 2021.

On Sunday, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald predicted that Crochet would be the one to end the nine-year dry spell. Cerullo tabbed Crochet to win the American League Cy Young Award for the 2025 season.

"For the Cy Young Award, I think Garrett Crochet is going to be a monster and will beat out Tarik Skubal for his first major award," Cerullo wrote.

Last season, Crochet pitched well enough that he would have likely been a top-five finisher if he'd kept up his full workload. He wound up with just 146 innings, but he struck out a ridiculous 209 batters (12.9 K/9), making his 3.58 ERA look quite unfairly inflated in hindsight.

During spring training, Crochet has looked nastier than ever, striking out an absurd 30 batters in just 15 2/3 innings while allowing a single earned run (0.57 ERA). He'll take the ball on Thursday when the Red Sox face Eovaldi and the Rangers to open the regular season.

Now, if the Red Sox could extend Crochet beyond the 2026 season, when his arbitration eligibility runs out, that would feel even better than a Cy Young. But first things first: It's nearly time for the lefty to dominate Boston's opponents for the next six-plus months.

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