Red Sox Didn't Make Mistake in Garrett Crochet-White Sox Blockbuster

The Boston Red Sox made a great deal bringing Garrett Crochet to town, despite recent discourse.

Sep 30, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Red Sox were on the hunt for pitching ahead of the 2025 season and went out and made an excellent move to bring lefty Garrett Crochet to town.

Boston was among the teams in the mix for Max Fried before he ended up signing with the New York Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million deal. Fried has pitched in two seasons for the Yankees already and is 32 years old. Crochet, on the other hand, is still just 27 years old.

With Crochet missing most of the 2026 season and the Chicago White Sox — who Boston got Crochet from — thriving in the playoffs, it has left some wondering if the Red Sox would've been better off keeping their prospects and not landing Crochet. The answer is no. It's easy to fall into a recency bias trap and look down on the deal. Crochet missed most of the season and Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery and Chase Meidroth all have made an impact in the playoffs for Chicago.

The Red Sox Didn't Make A Mistake

Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Let's not forget who Crochet is. In 2025, he made 32 starts and logged a 2.59 ERA and a 255-to-46 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 205 1/3 innings pitched. Crochet led the league in both strikeouts and innings pitched and finished second to Tarik Skubal in the Cy Young Award race.

It's unfortunate that he missed a chunk of the 2026 season, but he was able to get healthy to the point of pitching in a playoff game. That's a very good sign for his progress heading into 2027. On top of all of this, Crochet signed a six-year, $170 million extension with Boston. Initially, Crochet had an opt-out in the deal after the 2030 season. But because he missed more than 120 days due to a left arm injury, the opt-out has been voided. Instead, the Red Sox have a $15 million conditional club option for the 2032 season. So, the injury didn't help in the standings, but it also did guarantee more time with Crochet in Boston.

Fans around the league have been caught up in the White Sox. Boston fans specifically have talked about Teel, Montgomery and Meidroth. Teel played 39 games in the regular season due to an injury. He's slashing .235/.278/.235 in the playoffs. Plus, the Red Sox have Adley Rutschman. They're perfectly set at catcher now. Montgomery played in 93 games in the regular season and slashed .226/.312/.350 with six homers. Meidroth was very good in 2026. He played in 154 games and slashed .276/.350/.415 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. He's been good in the playoffs as well, but the Red Sox have Curtis Mead to come in and be the club's second baseman in 2027.

The best player moved in the deal was Crochet. He had some bad luck in 2026, but there's no reason to look back on this deal negatively at this point. Now, of course, things could change. But, for now, there's no reason for the discourse.