New Garrett Crochet Trade Rumor Should Catch Red Sox’s Attention

The Red Sox finally picked a lane, with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow publicly stating this week his desire to add before next Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline.

Breslow even revealed Boston’s priorities — like finding pitching help — as the Red Sox look to contend for an American League playoff spot in 2024.

Of course, such reinforcements can come in all shapes and sizes. The Red Sox on Friday acquired old friend James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers, for instance, so theoretically they’ve already checked the “starting pitching” box.

But what if the Red Sox are eyeing something bigger — something that’ll impact the franchise for several years, not just this season?

A couple of names immediately come to mind: Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal, two talented left-handers in the midst of breakout seasons for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, respectively.

They’re obviously appealing because they’re really, really good. But both hurlers also are under contract through 2026. So, the Red Sox — or any other acquiring team — would have two-plus years of Crochet or Skubal. We’re not talking about rentals.

That raises the asking price. It’ll presumably take a massive prospects package to land either pitcher, as the expectation (or hope) would be that you’re acquiring multiple years of front-end production. Crochet just turned 25 in June. Skubal turns 28 in November.

A new cloud just rolled in over Crochet, though, that could impact a potential bidding war before the trade deadline. And the Red Sox need to take notice, one way or another.

Multiple reports indicate that Crochet wants a contract extension if he’s traded this season before he’ll consider pitching in the playoffs. He also reportedly prefers to remain a starter — ruling out an innings-based transition to the bullpen — because he believes it’ll be best for his long-term health.

This is Crochet’s first season as a full-time starter, so there are questions about his workload, especially when combined with his injury history. Crochet, who debuted as a reliever in 2020, missed all of 2022 and a large chunk of 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Now, there could be a team out there that’s willing to meet Chicago’s asking price and immediately hand Crochet a contract extension. But that’s clearly a high-risk, high-reward expenditure requiring both top-tier prospect capital and a bunch of money.

The Red Sox are uniquely positioned to offer both. And there’s a strong case for them to take the chance, knowing they’ll still need starting pitching next season and Crochet has the potential to spearhead a rotation for the next decade, if all goes well. Frankly, he fits any competitive timeline.

It’s just not quite that easy, which we were reminded of with the new reports regarding Crochet’s preferences. The 2020 first-round pick is oozing with talent, but that’s never really been the issue.

Does Boston — or, again, any organization — have the stomach to go all-in for a pitcher with a still-limited starting track record, a shaky injury history and possible workload limitations for the remainder of this season? And is there even enough time to sort through all of the variables before next Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET?

The White Sox seemingly lost leverage with Crochet’s reported preferences being leaked, so perhaps an offseason trade involving the up-and-coming ace is more likely at this point.