Ocean Springs native and 2024 MLB All Star Garrett Crochet is leaving the Chicago White Sox for a new home. A handful of top prospects, including another Mississippi up-and-comer, were dealt to Chicago as part of the deal finalized earlier this month.
The Boston Red Sox have failed to make the postseason since 2021. Ahead of 2025, the organization’s front office is hoping Crochet can help lead the way to a return to October baseball.
Crochet earned his first All Star nod in 2024 after moving into a starting role for the White Sox. The lefty cemented himself as a reliable ace for the club, etching a 3.58 ERA in 32 starts and one of the top strikeout artists in the game. A 6-12 win-loss record for the hurler was more indicative of Chicago’s historic struggles in a season where they lost an MLB-record 121 games.
Adding an elite arm to the squad. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/E6VVoMdyH8
— Red Sox (@RedSox) December 12, 2024
The White Sox are getting a quartet of highly regarded prospects in the trade – including Madison native Braden Montgomery – as they attempt to rebuild their farm system. Montgomery, drafted No. 12 overall in this year’s MLB draft, will be joined by catcher Kyle Teel (Boston’s No. 25 overall prospect), infielder Chase Meidroth (Boston’s No. 11 prospect) and right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez (Boston’s No. 14 prospect).
The bevy of prospects handed over by the Red Sox exhibits high expectations for Crochet in the red and blue. It’s not without good reason, as Crochet led all of baseball in strikeout rate (35.1%) and strikeouts-per-nine-innings (12.88), on top of his All-Star status.
“We feel like we got a legitimate number one start in Garrett, left-handed, ton of swing and miss, massive strikeouts, and feels like the best is still in front of him,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told MLB.com. “So, we’re excited about what he brings. And obviously, we needed to trade really good players in order to be able to do this. But that’s the cost right now and we’re very much focused on what we were able to get.”
The Red Sox finished 81-81 in 2024, placing third in the American League East, while the White Sox finished 41-121 – the worst record in MLB history.
