Red Sox Avoided Paying Astronomical Sum With Garrett Crochet Decision

The Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 season with a clear mission: return to contention after missing the playoffs in five of the past six years.

A key part of their strategy was securing a cornerstone pitcher to lead their rotation, and Boston's office made a big splash by trading for a young ace in December: Garrett Crochet.

Then, at the end of March, the Red Sox finalized a six-year, $170 million extension with Crochet, a deal that now looks like a masterstroke in cost management, given Crochet's electrifying 2025 season thus far.

The extension, which begins in 2026 and includes an opt-out after 2030, was inked just days after the pitcher’s Opening Day start against the Texas Rangers, where he allowed two runs over five innings with four strikeouts in a 5-2 Boston victory.

Since then, Crochet's 2025 performance has been nothing short of dominant. Through 15 starts, he’s posted a 2.24 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 117 strikeouts in 96 1/3 innings.

Crochet's 2024 All-Star campaign (3.58 ERA, 209 strikeouts in 146 innings) revealed his talent as a starter, but his 2025 performance has solidified him in the elite tier of guys like Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal. Had Boston waited until the offseason to lock up Crochet, his price tag would have been astronomical, surely exceeding Max Fried’s eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees.

By extending Crochet early, the Red Sox avoided paying a king's ransom. The $170 million deal, with a $4 million signing bonus and salaries escalating from $24 million in 2026 to $30 million in 2031, averages $28.33 million annually—below the $32 million per year Crochet might have commanded after another strong season. The contract’s conditional $15 million team option for 2032, triggered if Crochet misses 120 days due to an arm injury, mitigates risk given his Tommy John surgery history.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow’s foresight on Crochet is looking spot-on at the moment. As Crochet continues to dazzle, Boston’s early investment looks like a bargain, potentially saving them $50 million or more while securing one of the game's bona fide aces for the long haul.