The Boston Red Sox finally got their left-handed star.
After missing out on Juan Soto and Max Fried, Boston took a big shot Wednesday, landing ace lefty Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox in a five-player deal. The deal doesn't come without risk, as Crochet has a lengthy injury history and threw far more innings than he ever has in 2024.
In exchange for their new No. 1 starter, the Red Sox surrendered two top-100 prospects but managed to hold on to their top three youngsters.
Here are our grades. All prospect rankings are according to MLB Pipeline.
Red Sox: B+
Boston gets: LHP Garrett Crochet
Let's start with the good. Boston now has a true No. 1 starter. Crochet, a former first-round pick, broke out in a big way in 2024. He went 6–12 for the historically bad White Sox with a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209 strikeouts against 33 walks in 146 innings. The 25-year-old is also still under team control through 2026 and, after spending his first four MLB seasons as a reliever, he's only projected to make around $3 million in arbitration in '25. Given the going price for elite starting pitching this winter, that's a steal.
Crochet pairs a 97 mph fastball with an elite slider that became one of baseball's best one-two punches in 2024. He was on a truly awful White Sox team with a consummately league-worst defense, and his expected ERA (2.85) and expected batting average against (.204) were both far lower than the actual numbers. His Statcast page is awash with red (that's good), including his xERA, xBA, fastball run value, chase percentage, whiff percentage, strikeout percentage and extension all sitting above the 90th percentile.
Now is where I get to the bad stuff. Before 2024, the most innings Crochet had ever pitched in a season was 65, back when he was in his second year at the University of Tennessee. He threw 54 1/3 out of the bullpen for the White Sox in ’21, but only logged 25 innings between the minors and majors in ’23. His 146 inning workload this year was a huge jump for a guy who dealt with arm soreness in college, then underwent Tommy John surgery before the ’22 campaign and had a shoulder injury in ’23.
While Crochet did take on a relatively heavy load last season, the White Sox also protected him after the All-Star break. After making his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic, Crochet only threw 38 2/3 innings the rest of the way. On top of that, his representatives made it clear that if he was traded to a contender, he’d only pitch in the postseason with a contract extension in tow. It's safe to assume they will want to discuss an extension with the Red Sox immediately, which is a positive for both sides given what Boston parted with to make this deal happen.
Crochet is a high-end talent and his upside is nearly unlimited. But this deal carries a ton of risk when you consider the prospect capital it took to land him. If he stays healthy and signs long-term, you can amend this grade to an A+. If not, it's a flat fail. We're going with a B+ because Boston is dealing from a position of strength when it comes to prospects.
White Sox: A-
Chicago gets: C Kyle Teel, OF Braden Montgomery, IF Chase Meidroth, RHP Wikelman Gonzalez
The White Sox lost 121 games in 2024, so they had to move Crochet eventually and jumpstart a rebuild. They didn't get a deal done before the trade deadline and it appears their wait paid off.
Chicago is receiving two top-100 prospects from MLB Pipeline's top 100, which were also Boston's last two first-round picks.
Catcher Kyle Teel (No. 25 in the rankings) is the headliner. The fourth-best prospect in Boston's system, the 22-year-old catcher reached Triple-A in 2024 and across two levels slashed .288/.386/.433 with 13 home runs and 78 RBIs. The ACC Player of the Year at Virginia in 2023, the Red Sox selected him with the 14th pick that year. He has a plus arm behind the plate and is a good pitch-framer. He's a backstop the White Sox can build around and shouldn't be in the minors much longer.
Braden Montgomery (No. 54) was Boston's first-round pick this year, coming off the board at No. 12. The 21-year-old outfielder hit 21 home runs for Texas A&M as a junior and rocketed up draft boards as a result. At 6'2" and 220 pounds, he has a big arm and decent speed, and his power is his calling card at the plate. There is a lot of talent here.
Infielder Chase Meidroth was Boston's 11th ranked prospect and is close to the big leagues. A fourth-round pick in 2022 out of the University of San Diego, he spent all of last season in Triple-A and put up solid numbers. He slashed .293/.437/.400, with seven home runs, 20 doubles and 57 RBIs. He looks like a second baseman who has solid bat-to-ball skills.
Pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez is the final piece of the deal and was Boston's 14th ranked prospect. A 22-year-old right-hander, he signed with the Red Sox out of Venezuela in 2018. He has a fastball that can hit 97, and a tight curveball in the upper 70s. He made 24 appearance for Double-A Portland this year and went 4–3 with a 4.73 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and 92 strikeouts against 46 walks in 83 2/3 innings.
This is a decent haul for the White Sox, though they miss top marks for failing to pry away any of Boston's top three prospects. They missed out on Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. Still, if Teel and Montgomery live up to their billing, they'll be thrilled with the return.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Trade Grades: Red Sox Gamble On Garrett Crochet.
