Apparently this Juan Soto guy signed earlier this week…but it’s officially trade season now for Major League Baseball!

The top trade asset on the market has, indeed, officially, been moved. Left-hander Garrett Crochet is heading to the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for four prospects.

He has been the center of many trade rumors since the deadline as the White Sox further head into a rebuild. His demand for an extension made his market a bit complicated back during the July trade deadline, but now his services will be utilized fully with the perfect team fit in Boston.

Fit with the Red Sox

While they didn’t make the postseason in 2024, the Red Sox entered this winter clearly ready to make moves and enter the contention tier of teams in the American League.

Boston also features one of, if not the best, offensive farm systems in the entire sport. They were tied for the most Top-100 prospects on Just Baseball’s Final Top 100 Prospects list with all six prospects being hitters.

The clear need for the Red Sox, though, was a rotation that very much lacks top-end arms. While Tanner Houck had a huge season, Kutter Crawford is a quality starter, and Brayan Bello has shown elite flashes, this team did not have a true ace.

Insert: Garrett Crochet. Despite a lack of experience starting, Crochet was one of the most impressive arms in baseball in 2024 in his first season starting. He finished the season with a 3.58 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 4.7 fWAR, and 208 strikeouts across 146 innings pitched for the White Sox.

He instantly becomes the ace in Boston as someone who could’ve had an even better season as evidenced by the expected numbers. The Red Sox now have their ace and with two years left of arbitration at what will be extremely affordable rate.

It’s worth noting that the Red Sox were able to retain their top three prospects in Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell, who all figure to be part of their 2025 roster at some point.

Boston has their top arm and they’ll likely still be spending some notable money in free agency to further improve this roster as they look to compete with the likes of the Yankees and Orioles next season.

Given the extension request he made during the season, it’s likely Boston will get a deal done with Crochet soon to keep him around for many years to come. It’ll be worth monitoring what of major deal the 25-year-old commands given his metrics, youth, and the current asking price we’ve seen for starting pitchers so far this winter.

Unique Career Path

Every pitcher these days comes with a degree of risk, but Garrett Crochet’s career path does make him a risky asset.

Drafted in the 1st round in the shortened 2020 draft, Crochet made his debut that season as a dynamic reliever throwing 100 mph for the White Sox without ever throwing a minor league inning.

He went on to be a very good reliever for the White Sox in 2021 as he pitched 54.1 innings with a 2.82 ERA. However, he underwent Tommy John Surgery prior to 2022 and missed the entire season and then only tossed 12.2 innings in 2023 while struggling to return to form.

Entering 2024, it was announced he’d be shifting to the bullpen despite only having 73 career innings under his belt. It was a massive risk but the White Sox always knew they wanted him to blossom as a starter one day.

It’s safe to say he absolutely shined in this role and became one of the top trade assets in baseball over the course of the last six months. The White Sox and Crochet may have limited his innings down the stretch to prevent any injuries, but his season, as a whole, was one of unbridled success.

Crochet’s addition of a true cutter as a starter paired excellently with his elite fastball as he generated ample whiff rates all season without sacrificing command. With a strikeout rate over 35% and walk rate just around 5%, Crochet looks the part of a true ace.

His health is worth monitoring and lack of experience likely limited his trade value to an extent, but he is a huge get for the Red Sox regardless.

White Sox Return

The Chicago White Sox were once a shining bastion of young talent just a handful of years ago, but they’re coming off the worst season in MLB history and are leaning into a full rebuild.

First and foremost in this rebuild was getting value for their homegrown top pitcher who was destined to depart before this team could turn things around.

Chicago’s farm system has improved drastically with other trades recently including the Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito moves. However, the pitching side is far ahead of the hitting so far.

This deal had to feature multiple high-end hitting prospects, which is why the Red Sox were always a good fit. The White Sox did well in this regard as they acquired two top-100 hitters and another who can make the Opening Day Roster in Chicago. They were also able to get an upside pitcher as the final piece.

Moreover, acquiring top catching prospect Kyle Teel as one of the main two pieces is a bit odd given that the White Sox have Just Baseball’s 33rd-ranked prospect Edgar Quero. However, Teel and Braden Montgomery are both potentially impact bats for Chicago in the future.

Meanwhile, Chase Meidroth had an exceptional year in Triple-A and should be in Chicago instantly despite not having near the upside of the first two. Right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez spent the season in Double-A and flashed some upside that the White Sox will look to tap into with their strong pitching system.

We’ll have more in-depth information to come soon on justbaseball.com about this return and the status of the White Sox rebuild!

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