Red Sox's $170M Garrett Crochet Extension Is 'Double-Edged Sword,' Says Insider

Late on Monday night, mired in a four-game losing streak featuring some of the ugliest offense imaginable, the Boston Red Sox were still taking care of business.

The news broke just after 9 p.m. EST on Monday night, four hours after the Red Sox wrapped up a ghastly 8-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, that the team and ace Garrett Crochet were in agreement on a six-year, $170 million contract extension that will run through at least 2030.

Crochet, 25, had self-imposed a deadline of Opening Day for the extension, but he admitted after his start on Thursday that things had gotten a lot closer to coming together than he'd expected. That left the door creaked for a deal to get done after all, and the Red Sox capitalized.

After trading four top prospects to get Crochet this winter, the Red Sox simply had to get an extension done--and soon, because the price tag was only going to go up. But is there any lingering worry about the lefty's relative inexperience for someone who was only two years from free agency?

On Tuesday, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported an interesting fact: Crochet is the first pitcher ever to sign a nine-figure contract with as little high-level professional experience as he has.

"He’ll be the first pitcher ever to sign a deal for at least $100 million before throwing at least 800 innings in either MLB or Japan’s NPB. That inexperience is a double-edged sword."

"On one hand, Crochet has a shorter track record than most starters who would be considered for a nine-figure extension. At the same time, his relatively limited starting experience suggests a pitcher with considerable room for growth, something that appealed to the Red Sox when they traded four prospects... to the White Sox for Crochet in December."

In the opinion of this author, the fewer innings Crochet has on his elbow and shoulder, the better. Even if he hasn't thrown a heap of innings, we all saw how filthy he can be--last season, this spring, and even for stretches during his good-not-great Red Sox regular season debut.

The Red Sox picked the perfect time frame to lock up Crochet, and as much as the extension is life-changing money for the lefty, it didn't completely break the bank for Boston. Sure, there's risk involved in any deal, but right now, it's hard to call this anything but a win.

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