The Big Lead

Red Sox's $170 million Garrett Crochet contract could pay huge dividends

By Sam Westmoreland

Feb 28, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Feb 28, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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The Boston Red Sox seem to have finally found their ace starting pitcher, and took the necessary steps to lock him down on Monday.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Red Sox gave Garrett Crochet a six-year, $170 million contract, with escalators that can push the deal to upwards of $180 million, locking up the starting pitcher through the 2031 season.

Giving that kind of money to any starting pitcher is a risky proposition, but if there's someone with the upside to make the risk worth it, it's Crochet.

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Remember, the lefty is just 25 years old at this point; he's not even in his prime yet. And his arm is shockingly fresh for a starting pitcher; he's thrown a grand total of 224 innings, thanks to two years as a reliever and close to two other seasons lost to elbow injury.

But Crochet supernovaed onto the scene last year as a starter for the moribund Chicago White Sox. His 100 mile per hour fastball and devastating cutter have already made him one of the best lefty starters in all of baseball, and his performance this spring for the Red Sox made this an easy, logical decision for them.

Crochet is also significantly younger than other top-paid starters. Max Fried and Blake Snell are both over 30, where Crochet will still be just 31 at the end of this contract.

It's not just about Crochet, though; the Red Sox have been seeking a frontline starter for several years now, and haven't really had one since Chris Sale's heyday during the 2018 World Series run. For the first time since then, they have a pitcher who has all the hallmarks of being an ace, so it makes sense that they'd want to splash cash to lock him up now.

Sure, there are still risks attached; Crochet is a modern pitcher, and modern pitchers come with a plethora of elbow issues. He's already had Tommy John, though, and assuming they handle his uptick in innings pitched responsibly in the next year or two, there's no reason to assume his trajectory is heading anywhere but up.

Crochet's big deal is a risk, but for a big market team looking to lock down a number one starter, it's a risk well worth taking for the Red Sox.

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