Craig Breslow made pitching a priority for the Red Sox this offseason.
And so far Boston’s chief baseball officer has delivered. Breslow acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet, added proven stud Walker Buehler and finally added to the depth with veteran Patrick Sandoval.
Of the three arms, Crochet has the least sample size, with only one season as a starter, but according to White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz, the Red Sox acquired a legitimate ace.
“That guy, he’s different, man,” Katz told Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “I’ve been fortunate enough to see some really good arms here the last four years, but I think Garrett was the most dominant pitcher at any given time that I’ve ever seen.”
Crochet compiled a 3.58 ERA and struck out 209 batters in just 146 innings across 32 games.
“He took every single start, and he wanted to do more,” Katz said, per McWilliams. “We kind of had to cut him down. It was amazing to watch.”
Lucas Giolito, who was teammates with Crochet in Chicago, is excited for the 25-year-old to join the rotation in Boston.
“It’s massive. I mean, I think that the stuff in the rotation already was really good, but now we’ve added a lefty that probably has the best stuff (in baseball) — him and Tarik Skubal” Giolito said, per McWilliams. “It’s just otherworldly. He’s a great teammate. I’m pumped for the move.”
If Crochet is able to duplicate his numbers from last season and the rest of the rotation pitches to its ceiling, it should be the Red Sox’s biggest strength entering the 2025 MLB season.
