long awaited Garrett Crochet The trade is finally here. The lefty will swap his White Sox for the Red Sox, according to announcements from both clubs. Four rookies heading in opposite directions: Catcher Kyle Tilloutfielder Braden Montgomeryinfielder Chase Medeiros and right-handers Wickerman Gonzalez.
Crochet, 25, was the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft and made his major league debut in six innings of coffee that same season. He was a key cog in the White Sox bullpen in 2021, posting a 2.82 ERA and 2.80 FIP in 54 1/3 innings, but missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and Some games in 2023. The lefty ended up making just 13 major league appearances last year, struggling in 12 2/3 innings, walking more batters than he struck out in that time.
When the White Sox decided in March to not only insert Crochet into the rotation but name him the club’s Opening Day starter, the news was shocking given his lengthy injury history. However, the move proved fatal as Crochet had a dominant season in Chicago, becoming the club’s lone bright spot in a brutal 121-game losing streak. This year, Crochet pitched 146 innings in 32 starts for the White Sox, posting a 3.58 ERA (115+ ERA) and a 2.69 FIP. Among starters with at least 100 innings in 2024, Crochet leads the class in strikeout rate (35.1%) and SIERA (2.53), while also boasting an elite 5.5% walk rate and a solid 45.1% ground ball rate.
These unparalleled perimeter numbers paint Hooker as one of the best starters in the velocity-based game, providing a rare combination of left-side command and top-end speed. Of course, that’s not to say that crocheting is completely without its problems. He’s easily given up on intense contact with the White Sox this year, as evidenced by his 14.4 percent of fly balls leaving the park for home runs and a 9.2 percent fielding rate, at least the best among all MLB starters. Ranked bottom 15. While Crochet’s excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio could make up for a tendency to underwhelm at-bats, the lefty’s lack of track record due to a significant injury history is sure to raise some eyebrows. He’s thrown 146 innings this year, the first time he’s pitched more than 65 in a season since his college days in the SEC, and he’s thrown 90 pitches in just nine of 32 starts this year.
Of course, considering Crochet has more than double his previous career high in innings in 2024, it’s no surprise that his workload is tightly controlled. The entire process puts him in charge of a larger workload for the remaining two seasons of his control of the team, possibly even as soon as the 2025 season. Ultimately, Crochet is considered one of the most impactful weapons per inning in the entire sport, which is apparently enough for a Red Sox clubhouse that has been searching for an ace all winter to pull the trigger, regardless of durability concerns.
The upside to Crochet’s limitations in his first few seasons is that it diminishes his earning power so far in his career. He’s been in the majors for over four years, but with much of that time spent either on the injured list or in the bullpen, he hasn’t been able to raise his salary to very high levels. MLBTR writer Matt Swartz predicts his salary next year will be just $2.9MM. He’ll get another raise in 2026 before his scheduled free-agent trip, but he may not even reach eight figures due to his humble starting point. Considering the hefty prices paid for free-agent starters this winter, Crochet’s situation gives him huge trade value.
In return for Crochet’s two years of service, Boston would be giving up a large number of potential customers. Till is deserving of the headlines, rated as the 25th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America and Boston’s third-best prospect behind Roman Anthony and Christine Campbellreports from both men indicate that the club considers them untouchable. Till, a left-handed hitting catcher who was the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft, hit .299/.390/.462 in 84 games at the Double-A level this year before being promoted to Triple-A. . The youngster rates as a solid defender behind the plate and is not expected to have any issues behind the plate, and with his 23rd birthday approaching in February, it’s not hard to imagine him one day Will be the Chicago White Sox’s everyday catcher in 2025.
In addition to Till, Red Sox also trade 2024 first-round players Braden Montgomery. Montgomery, the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft, is a switch outfielder who has yet to make his professional debut but is hitting .322 in 295 at-bats this year at Texas A&M. /.454/.733. BA ranks Montgomery as the No. 59 prospect in baseball, while MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 54 prospect in the sport, noting that he has superior strength and double the arm strength, which should make him a good fit in right field. . Medeiros and Gonzalez, meanwhile, are not considered top-100 prospects in the sport but are still well-received within Boston’s system. They ranked 11th and 14th in Boston, respectively, before the trade, according to Pipeline.
Medeiros, the club’s fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft, has played in 122 games in Triple-A this year with a slash line of .293/.437/.401. The 23-year-old has little power and is best used as a second baseman in the majors but also has experience at third base and shortstop. Like Till, he could hit the White Sox as soon as this year. Meanwhile, Gonzalez signed with the Venezuelan Red Sox and made his professional debut in 2019. The ERA in the inning was 4.73. His solid 25.6% strikeout rate at this level is overshadowed by a 12.8% walk rate. Gonzalez has the potential to make an impact at the major league level out of the bullpen in the short term, but given Chicago’s lengthy timeline for returning to contention, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the club opt to develop the 22-year player . Old takes a closer look at the future of the major league rotation.
With the addition of Crochet, the Red Sox have completed one of the biggest tasks on their offseason anticipation to-do list by adding a quality talent to the rotation. However, it’s unclear what the club’s next steps will be. There were rumors earlier this winter that the club might be looking to add several of its top pitchers, and the club has reportedly prepared formal offers for its top free agent starters corbyn burns Last night, such an addition was not necessarily ruled out. However, given recent reports casting doubt on the possibility of Boston landing Burns, adding a lower-level player to supplement the rotation seems more likely at this point. Reunion with Nick Pivetta or pursue Walker Buehler has been floated as a possible replacement free agent target for the Red Sox and could allow the club to further expand rotation depth, with Crochet currently expected to join tanner hawk, Brian Bello, Kurt Crawfordand Lucas Giolito next year.
In addition to bolstering their rotation, the Red Sox are still exploring the market to add right-handers to their lineup. Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Bregman Both are considered potential targets for Boston, with Hernandez theoretically joining a crowded outfield mix as a replacement Tyler O’Neal Bregman will remain in the club’s lineup as the everyday second baseman unless he decides to transfer. Raphael Devers Off third base. Now that Till is headed to Chicago, it seems possible to bolster the club’s depth behind the plate and find a backup, e.g. James McCann pair Connor Wong Probably the club’s top priority.
Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe (X link) first reported that the Red Sox were close to acquiring Crochet, but Till did the opposite. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (X link) first reported the other names in the deal.
