Red Sox acquire Garrett Crochet from White Sox

Red Sox acquire Garrett Crochet from White Sox

Over eight years after the Boston Red Sox traded for young southpaw Chris Sale from the Chicago White Sox, the two sides are in agreement for another rising star across baseball.

After missing out on free agent arm Max Fried, the Red Sox went out and acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox, Red Sox beat writer Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe first reported Wednesday.

The five-player deal will be headlined by catcher Kyle Teel, Boston’s No. 4 prospect–and the No. 25 prospect in MLB, according to MLB Pipeline–in addition to outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 5 in Red Sox system), infielder Chase Meidroth (No. 11) and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez (No. 14), according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Woah! This is a pretty steep package for Boston, which has one of the deepest farm systems in MLB.

Montgomery was the team’s No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old switch-hitter had yet to appear in rookie ball with Boston, but sported a .317/.428/.646 career slash line with Texas A&M across three seasons (187 games, 879 plate appearances).

He smashed 62 career homers with 203 RBIs, 44 doubles, four triples and 17 stolen bases; he also walked 122 times (13.9 BB%) to 196 strikeouts (22.3 K%). As a senior, he slashed .322/.454/.733 (1.187 OPS) with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs in just 295 plate appearances. The dude can flat-out rake, and that doesn’t mention his great arm (he was also a part-time pitcher, too).

Meidroth played shortstop, third base and second base in Triple-A Worchester last year. He posted a .838 OPS in 122 games, hitting seven home runs with 57 RBIs, 20 doubles and 13 stolen bases; Gonzales finished 2024 in Double-A Portland, appearing in 24 games (19 starts), amassing a 4.73 ERA in 83.2 innings.

Crochet is one of the best young arms in baseball, earning his first full-time starting role last year with Chicago. In 32 starts (146.0 innings), he owned a 3.58 ERA–to a 2.69 FIP–fanning 35.1 percent of hitters. He’s got elite swing-and-miss stuff with a four-seamer, cutter, sweeper and changeup.

He graded in the 87th percentile or better in walk rate (87th), expected batting average (89th), chase rate (93rd), whiff rate (98th) and strikeout rate (98th), according to Baseball Savant. He’s got legit ace stuff.

The Red Sox needed a frontline starter more than just about anyone, and they got their guy. Given the price it took, however, they must ensure that they can lock him up. Garrett Crochet has just two more years left on his deal and that price may only continue to soar as time goes on.

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This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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