Red Sox Have 'Transaction of the Year,' Per ESPN's Jeff Passan

The Boston Red Sox knew they needed to add some high-level pitching to the organization and absolutely did so before the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

Boston said it was going to be aggressive and did so by acquiring Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. The big lefty has responded with the best season of his career so far. He has made 31 starts for the Red Sox and has a 2.69 ERA and 249-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 197 1/3 innings pitched. He's leading the league both in innings pitcher and strikeouts. He also has a 17-5 record for Boston.

He's been so good that ESPN's Jeff Passan -- baseball's top insider -- called the most his "Transaction of the Year."

The Boston Red Sox made a phenomenal move

Sep 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

"Transaction of the Year: Red Sox acquire Garrett Crochet from White Sox for four prospects
There were plenty of choices," Passan said. "Soto's contract is an all-timer. Max Fried has been everything the Yankees needed. And there was no shortage of trade options, from the blockbusters (Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, Rafael Devers to the Giants) to the deadline stunners (Mason Miller to the Padres, Carlos Correa back to the Astros). In terms of sheer impact, though, the Red Sox's December acquisition of Crochet is unbeatable. And it's among the most infrequent of trades, too: one in which both parties emerge elated. Without Crochet, 26, headlining the rotation, Boston isn't sniffing a playoff spot.

"Not only did the Red Sox think enough of him to give up four players who had yet to make their major league debut, but during spring training, they kept Crochet from reaching free agency next winter with a six-year, $170 million contract extension even though the left-hander had never thrown 150 innings in a season. Boston's faith was well-founded. Crochet leads MLB in strikeouts and the AL in innings pitched. He has faced 788 batters this year, and they are hitting .220/.268/.360 against him. And with a 17-5 record and 2.69 ERA, he has positioned himself as the likely runner-up behind Tarik Skubal in AL Cy Young voting."

Talk about the difference a year makes? The Red Sox had a few years of not looking like the Red Sox, as in they weren't aggressive at all when it came to bringing stars to town. Now, they have one of the best moves of the year.

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