Red Sox's Projected Cost Revealed For 5-Year Extension With Ace Garrett Crochet

Would this offer get a deal done?

Feb 23, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitching in the second 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

As the regular season approaches, the Boston Red Sox still have an important piece of business to check off.

In December, the Red Sox acquired their new number-one starting pitcher, Garrett Crochet, in a trade that sent four top prospects to the Chicago White Sox. It was Boston's biggest gamble of the offseason, and it's one they're hoping secures them a trip back to the playoffs in 2025.

Last season was Crochet's first as a starter, but you'd never know it from the way he pitched. He struck out a remarkable 209 batters, only 19 off the major league lead, in only 146 innings of work, as he was kept on a tight innings limit after the All-Star break.

Now, Crochet should be fully unleashed in his first year with the Red Sox at age 25. But he's also only under team control for two more seasons. Working out an extension to keep him in Boston is paramount, but it hasn't happened yet.

On Thursday, Tim Britton of The Athletic spelled out the cost of a potential Crochet extension: five years, $110 million. Britton broke a list of possible extensions across Major League Baseball into four tiers, and listed Crochet under Tier 1: "Get this deal done now."

"Crochet has expressed an interest in an extension since last summer, and the Red Sox didn’t trade the kind of prospect package they sent to the White Sox for Crochet just to watch him walk away in two years," Britton wrote. "Crochet can anchor the starting staff as Boston opens a new competitive window."

Crochet has seemingly self-imposed a deadline as well: According to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier, he prefers a deal to be done by Opening Day and doesn't want talks leaking over into the season. If it doesn't happen by then, the Red Sox could be on the hook for several more million dollars, or risk letting him go to free agency.

That's the worst case scenario here. The Red Sox absolutely cannot allow the possibility of Crochet only pitching in Boston for two years. So if Britton's $110 million figure isn't going to cut it, the team had better figurer out what will.

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