The Chicago White Sox made their move. Now, we’ll all have to wait and see if it pays off.
Coming off a 41-win season, the worst in modern Major League Baseball history, the White Sox had one big poker chip to cash in. All-Star pitcher Garrett Crochet, the 25-year-old lefty flamethrower, was one of the most obvious trade candidates in recent memory.
With two years of team control left, Crochet was never going to be around whenever the White Sox do get back into playoff contention. Chicago had to deal him, and because very few teams are committing to rebuilds, they had the market cornered.
Finally, the White Sox chose their preferred farm system to pilfer.
On Tuesday, the White Sox reportedly agreed to a deal that will send Crochet to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for multiple top prospects. Jeff Passan of ESPN was first to report the deal, which was still in the medical phase at the time of publication.
Julian Williams of the Boston Globe reported that catcher Kyle Teel, the Red Sox’s number-four prospect and the number-25 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com, is the top name included in the return.
Crochet had a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings pitched last season, with advanced metrics like FIP and xERA suggesting that he deserved even better statistics. It was his first season as a starting pitcher, and a resounding success.
At the trade deadline, any teams hoping to trade for Crochet were told an extension had to be agreed upon for the lefty to pitch in the postseason. One can safely assume the Red Sox will explore extension talks with Crochet now, but for now, they have him locked in through 2026.
The White Sox, for their part, have to hope Teel is as advertised. There’s a lot riding on the former first-round pick, plus the remaining prospects in the deal, to turn this franchise back into something respectable.
UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has reported that outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth, and right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez are included in the deal along with Teel.
More MLB: Mariners proposed blockbuster lands 2 Red Sox sluggers for $108 million superstar
