Why Garrett Crochet Chose Red Sox Extension Over Free Agency

One way or another, Garrett Crochet was going to make a ton of money when he signed his second professional baseball contract.

It was either going to come from the Red Sox, who traded for Crochet over the offseason, or another club if the star southpaw reached free agency once his rookie deal expired. If fetching the most amount of cash possible was Crochet’s primary objective, the open market probably would have been the better play as it could have created a bidding war among baseball’s biggest spenders.

The 25-year-old, however, passed on the opportunity to hit free agency in two years when he signed a long-term extension with the Red Sox on Tuesday. Boston will pay Crochet handsomely, but as the 2024 All-Star explained Friday, his decision to commit to the Red Sox went beyond dollar signs.

“I think when you look at the organization as a whole, it’s a very welcoming, well-run organization,” Crochet told reporters, as seen on NESN. “The talent, from top to bottom, gives us the opportunity to compete for years to come. Along with Sam Kennedy, Bres (Craig Breslow) and AC (Alex Cora), the entire top was very welcome to me. I felt like they were that way with players throughout the minor leagues as well. So, it’s just a very well-run organization that I look forward to being a part of.”

The six-year extension was life-changing for Crochet, but it was significantly important for Boston as well. As Kennedy outlined ahead of the Red Sox’s home opener, Crochet’s new contract was representative of the organization’s mission to be aggressive in hopes of creating sustained success.

Thus, the lucrative deal has a chance to be a massive win for all parties involved.