Red Sox Reportedly ‘In Thick Of’ Blockbuster Trade Talks For Ace

The Red Sox seem hell-bent on getting Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet to swap out his stockings.

Crochet is considered one of the premium pitchers that will be made available this offseason, as Chicago wants to capitalize on his strong year by recouping prospects and position players in what is expected to be a lengthy rebuild.

Boston has both of those things, which reportedly leaves it with a decent chance of landing the 25-year-old.

“I think they’re right in the thick of things,” a baseball person with knowledge of the White Sox’s thinking recently told Sean McAdam of MassLive. “It will come down to (what they’re willing to offer), but from a talent standpoint, they match up well. They didn’t show as much interest (as others) at the trade deadline (last summer), but the interest has increased in the offseason and they’re sending the message: ‘We want to be involved in this, we want to be involved in these talks.’

“I definitely think they’re one of five or so teams that are legitimate, real teams that match up prospect-wise.”

The Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are also expected to be in the mix, per McAdam.

Crochet is coming off another great season with the White Sox, commanding a 3.58 ERA with a 35.1% strikeout rate, 5.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate across 146 innings. Chicago likely won’t net any of “The Big Four” prospects currently in Boston’s system, though, if not only for the fact he had just 85 1/3 professional innings on his track record from 2020 to 2023.

“It wouldn’t shock me if it happened tomorrow,” McAdam’s source said about a potential trade. “And it wouldn’t shock me if it happened during spring training.”

Red Sox fans are in wait-and-see mode, but it appears the club is working toward making a move.