Garrett Crochet is relieved to have found his next home in Boston and leave ‘chaos’ of uncertainty behind
Crochet wasn't happy the White Sox limited his innings in the second half of last season, and doesn't anticipate wearing "a leash" next year.
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Garrett Crochet spoke to reporters for the first time as a member of the Red Sox via Zoom on Friday.
After being dealt to Boston from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for four minor leaguers (RHP Wikelman Gonzalez, INF Chase Meidroth, OF Braden Montgomery, and C Kyle Teel) on Wednesday, Crochet said he’s happy to have found his next MLB home. He had been rumored to be on the trade market for the majority of the last season with the lowly 41-121 White Sox.
“There was definitely a lot of relief when it finally came to fruition and I got the call from (Chicago White Sox GM Chris) Getz, and (Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig) Breslow,” Crochet said, via MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “A lot of people might view the trade as adding some chaos into your life, but for me, I felt like all of the chaos was stripped away. Worrying about it for eight months, and knowing that it was kind of writing on the wall, it was nice to being able to put it behind me and look forward to the season.”
Crochet joins a Red Sox team with now increased expectations for 2025 following his addition. As the rotation stands right now, he’s Boston’s Opening Day starter — and would be his team’s Game 1 starter in a playoff game.
With his important new role in a historic baseball city, Crochet understands the weight he carries as the ace, especially on since the club desperate to compete in the postseason again. The left-handed pitcher said he’s looking forward to playing in front of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park, and praised them for being well-informed about the game.
“It’s an electric atmosphere. The fans are knowledgeable about baseball and not every fan base can say that,” Crochet said. “That’s probably the biggest thing that I look forward to. That, along with (the fact that) they expect you to win and they expect you to be great. They’ve seen it before. That’s the main thing I’m looking forward to.”
Crochet will certainly hope to get on fans, and the media’s, good side during his first season with the Red Sox. It’s safe to say a regular season anything like Crochet’s 2024, and past performances in the postseason, would help that become reality.
The 25-year-old posted a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts in his first full season as a starter in Chicago. Crochet logged 146 innings across 32 starts, good for a whopping 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings, and walked just 33 batters.
His innings pitched stat is one he is eagerly looking forward to bump up next season. The White Sox decided to limit his innings after the All-Star break, perhaps in an attempt to keep him healthy to get the most bang for their buck for him in a trade.
Crochet discussed wearing a “leash” in the final months of the season, but understands that it helped land him in Boston in the end.
“In terms of how long my leash will be, “I hope to not even be wearing a collar in the second half of next year,” he said. “(Being limited) was frustrating in a lot of ways, but at the same time, I understood the usage concerns. There were a lot of things I was working on in the second half that I could have expanded on had the innings been a little bit more normal. But at the same time, those were the cards I was dealt and I was just getting my work in as best I could.”
If anything, the Red Sox may need to increase Crochet’s innings after the All-Star break next season if they want to contend. It remains to be seen how he and his arm will respond to being ramped up; Crochet underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and miss the entirety of the following season.
However, Boston is betting on him succeeding under such conditions. They could up the ante by inking him to an extension in the coming months before his price skyrockets by the time he becomes a free agent after the 2026 season.
Crochet said on Friday that he isn’t thinking about an extension right now, but things could certainly change. The Red Sox have recently bought into the idea of locking up young players (see: Brayan Bello and Ceddanne Rafaela) before allowing them to come anywhere near close to the free agent market.
Crochet should certainly be a candidate even before the 2025 regular season begins in March.
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