Report: Boston Red Sox sign Garrett Crochet to a six-year, $170 million contract extension

The left-hander was a first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2020 and made his big league debut shortly after, appearing in five games with zero experience in the minor leagues (as the pandemic shut down the MiLB season). A reliever for the first few seasons of his career, Crochet would miss the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and would return to the big leagues in 2023, making 13 relief appearances and allowing just five runs through 12 2/3 innings of work.

Last season, the White Sox transitioned Crochet from a bullpen arm to the rotation, and he put forth a stellar campaign, posting a 2.69 FIP and a 3.58 ERA through 146 innings, crafting a 12.9 K/9 in the process. The Mississippi product would earn his first All-Star nomination, and his name dominated the rumour mill heading into the trade deadline. While he remained with the White Sox following the deadline, the writing was on the wall for his time in Chicago, and the Red Sox offered the best haul for his services this past offseason. The December 11th deal ended up seeing Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez the opposite way with Crochet and his two years of contract control heading to the AL East.

Crochet and the Red Sox continued to hammer away on an extension, with the starter setting an Opening Day deadline to get things done – which, ultimately, didn’t matter in the long run. Initially, the two sides were reported to have some distance between their respected valuations, with Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow even squashing expectations of an extension happening this season.

Ultimately, the two sides found some middle ground, and one of the most intriguing arms of the 2024 season is going to be pitching at Fenway Park for the foreseeable future.

Armed with a four-seam fastball that produced a +21 run value last year and a five-pitch arsenal, Crochet is going to anchor the Red Sox rotation for the foreseeable future but comes with considerable risk given his recent injury history and limited experience in the rotation. However, when healthy, Crochet can be downright dominant, and the Red Sox are betting that he can continue this form over the next six seasons.