Boston was hard at work trying to land the southpaw
The Red Sox secured their frontline starter, and it sounds like there was a lot of work done behind the scenes.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow offered details of Boston’s pursuit of Garrett Crochet after the trade. The Red Sox reportedly heated up discussions Wednesday morning and upped their offer at 10:30 a.m. ET. Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz confirmed the increased talks leading up to the huge deal.
“Discussions really heated up last night with the Red Sox, and we took that into the morning,” Getz told reporters, per CHGO Sports. “And it was very clear they were motivated. We wanted to get something done, and we made a match. I think both clubs should feel really good about the return.”
Breslow expressed Boston’s excitement to acquire a “bonafide ace,” and the feeling seems to be mutual with Crochet. The Red Sox were linked to a trade for the 25-year-old, and it seemed like a deal months in the making.
“We had discussions with Boston at the deadline as well,” Getz said. “Obviously, we didn’t match up at the time. We’ve done a lot of homework on Boston. You had post-deadline work we put in for the remainder of the season, and when you get into offseason discussion, you have the familiarity and maybe a little more work done. We stayed in touch throughout the offseason. You never know where it’s gonna end up in deals like this. But it was very clear they were ready to get something done.”
The Red Sox likely aren’t done after trading for Crochet and still are linked to the remaining top free agents and popular trade targets on the market.