Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Three Key Players For 2025 Season

The Boston Red Sox got some work done on the contract-front Thursday.

The Red Sox announced they reached one-year deals for the 2025 season with starting pitchers Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Garret Crochet to avoid arbitration. Jarren Duran remains the only arbitration-eligible Red Sox player without a new contract.

According to multiple reports, Houck got the most money out of the trio of pitchers at $3.95 million while Crochet came in just behind at $3.8 million and Crawford at $2.75 million.

Crochet’s deal might be a placeholder for something bigger. The lefty ace, who the Red Sox acquired from the Chicago White Sox in an early December trade and was projected to make around $3 million, reportedly already entered contract extension talks.

Houck, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time, gets a pay bump after the best season of his career in which he earned All-Star recognition. Houck faded over the second half of the season but still posted a 9-10 record over 30 starts with a 3.12 ERA and 1.142 WHIP. He’s under team control for two more seasons.

Crawford’s contract was less than what was projected. He made a team-high 33 starts last season and gives Boston a reliable arm at the back-end of the rotation. Crawford is under team control through 2028.

Despite the Red Sox not coming to terms with Duran, they can still try to work out a deal with the All-Star outfielder. If they can’t come to an agreement, Duran’s contract will be settled by a third party at the arbitration hearings, which will be conducted from Jan. 27 to Feb. 14 in St. Petersburg, Fla.