Garrett Crochet’s trade from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox won’t only provide a change of scenery for the left-hander, but a new rotation of arms to get acclimated with by Opening Day.
Crochet became Boston’s first major offseason acquisition on Wednesday after the franchise fell short in its reported pursuits of Shane Bieber and Max Fried. Now the lone southpaw in the team’s current rotation, Crochet offered his two cents on the Red Sox’s crew of Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford.
“That’s a good group and a lot of brains that I can pick,” Crochet told reporters Friday via Zoom, per team-provided audio. “Kutter’s got a good arsenal as well as Tanner. Bello, I’ve never had a chance to talk to but I look forward to it as well. He’s got an incredible changeup and everybody’s kind of got that one pitch that makes them themselves. So I’d like to incorporate that into my game as well as much as possible. Just being around those guys is something that I look forward to.”
The arrival of Crochet provided many patient Red Sox fans a sigh of relief amid MLB’s Winter Meetings in Dallas and also addressed the team’s need for depth in the pitching department. Boston endured the losses of Giolito and Garrett Whitlock — both to elbow injuries — before ending its 2024 run at 81-81. Pitching, both in the rotation and bullpen, was on its last leg and without the necessary depth and the franchise swallowed a third consecutive swing-and-miss from playoff contention.
Crochet, at the time a member of the 121-loss White Sox, went 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts while also earning a spot on the American League’s All-Star roster during his first campaign as a full-time starting pitcher. The 25-year-old will maintain that role in Boston but revealed conversations with the team’s department will take place beforehand.
“I believe I’m gonna have more of an in-depth conversation next week with (Red Sox pitching coach) Andrew Bailey and the rest of the staff,” Crochet said. “Already I have a relationship kind of bridged from my former pitching coach in Ethan Katz and Andrew Bailey having known each other just through the game.”
Boston’s addition of Crochet could signal more to come as free agency and the still red-hot trade market provide a handful of avenues for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the rest of the front office to consider in the coming weeks.
