Red Sox's Craig Breslow Dishes On Garrett Crochet Extension Talks: 'Will Pick Up'

A deal that has to get done...

Aug 21, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (45) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The signature move of the Boston Red Sox's offseason still has some loose ends.

In December, the Red Sox acquired 25-year-old star left-handed pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, sending a four-player prospect package back to Chicago that included two of their consensus top five farmhands.

Crochet is only under contract for the next two seasons, and part of the reason the Red Sox were so eager to acquire him was the fact that based on his age, he should still have a lot of good years left. Now, they have to make sure those years come in a Boston uniform.

You don't try as hard as the Red Sox did to trade for Crochet unless you intend to extend him, and the Red Sox aren't hiding their ambitions to get a deal done. But according to Chief Baseball Officer, it's not a conversation that can be rushed.

“Obviously when you have someone as uniquely talented as Garrett is, and someone at this age and we feel like is going to help our team in the short term and potentially can help our team in the long term, it’s something that we have to be open to,” Breslow said in an appearance on the "310 to Left" podcast.

“But they also have to be open to it as well. And I think Garrett and I are still getting to know each other and by all accounts, his introduction to Boston, to the Red Sox and to our fans has been spectacular. So I think those are conversations that will pick up.”

Last season was Crochet's first as a full-time major league starter, and he looked as comfortable as one could possibly hope he'd be. His 3.58 ERA was belied by his 2.69 FIP, and he struck out a whopping 209 batters in just 146 innings pitched.

The Red Sox should be motivated to get an extension done by the fact that if Crochet goes out and has a Cy Young caliber season, that extension will cost far more at any point in the future than it might right now.

Breslow is hinting at his motivation to get such a deal done before the Red Sox break camp in Fort Myers next month. Only time will tell if that motivation leads to success.

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