Inside The Red Sox

Will Garrett Crochet Leave Red Sox In 2030? Full $170 Million Contract Details

The salary breakdown has dropped...
Feb 28, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA;  Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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There weren't many things that could lighten the mood among Boston Red Sox fans amid the team's 1-4 start, but the team managed to deliver one of them on Monday night.

Just five days into the season, the Red Sox locked down their new number-one starter, fireballing lefty Garrett Crochet, with a six-year, $170 million contract extension. That was a top priority for Boston after shipping four top prospects to the Chicago White Sox for Crochet in December.

Crochet initially set an Opening Day deadline for a possible extension before tabling talks until the end of the season, and said just days beforehand that he didn't see it happening anytime soon. But it became clear shortly after Opening Day that the gap between the two sides was minimal, and the Red Sox didn't waste time driving the deal home.

The deal is monumental for the Red Sox, who now have what they believe to be a top-10 starter in the sport locked up for the entirety of his prime. Crochet broke out in a major way last year, striking out 209 batters in just 146 innings in his first season as a big-league starter.

On Tuesday, MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported the full breakdown of Crochet's contract, which is as follows:

-$4 million signing bonus
-$24 million salary in 2026
-$28 million salary from 2027 to 2030
-$30 million salary for 2031 (player option).

The lefty will also keep his $3.8 million salary for 2025. So the bottom line is this: the Red Sox gave up four top prospects for six guaranteed years of Crochet valued at $143.8 million, with the potential to go to seven years, $173.8 million at the player's discretion.

In addition, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported Tuesday that if Crochet ever misses 120 consecutive days due to an arm injury, the $30 million player option is voided and the Red Sox would instead have a $15 million conditional option for the 2031 season.

Obviously, a lot can happen between now and 2031, but as of right now, it's an interesting proposition as to whether Crochet could opt in or out of $30 million heading into his age-32 season. But the Red Sox shouldn't sweat that just yet; a couple of days ago, it wasn't guaranteed he'd be around at age 27.

Now that the off-field business is taken care of, Crochet can shift his focus to helping the Red Sox get back in the win column, where they haven't been since his first start with the team on Thursday. He'll face off Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

More MLB: Red Sox-Tigers Trade Idea Ships Wilyer Abreu To Detroit For Top-5 Prospect


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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org