Red Sox get Crochet, send prospects to White Sox

DALLAS — The Boston Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, using their deep well of prospects to land the best starting pitching available on the trade market.

Catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez are heading to Chicago in exchange for Crochet.

Crochet thrived in his first season in the White Sox’s rotation last year after transitioning from a relief role. While the teams had discussed multiple iterations of a deal, talks accelerated after Boston fell short in attempts to sign outfielder Juan Soto, left-hander Max Fried and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

Crochet, 25, was dominant over 146 innings this year, striking out 209 while walking just 33. With a fastball that sits at 97 mph, a high-end slider and a cutter he added to great effect, Crochet looked like a frontline starter — exactly the sort the Red Sox need as they look to rebound from a five-year stretch in which they finished in last place in the American League East three times.

He joins a rotation that includes right-handers Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford, and he is likely to get the Opening Day nod for Boston.

Boston’s 4.04 ERA ranked fourth in the AL East last season; only the Blue Jays (4.29) had a worse mark.

The allure of Crochet goes beyond his elite stuff and performance. Because he spent the first four years of his career as a relief pitcher, Crochet’s salary in arbitration is far less than that of an elite starting pitcher. He is projected to make around $3 million this year and will not be a free agent until after the 2026 season.

Boston entered the winter hoping to add impact starting pitching to a team whose position-playing core is on the upswing. The Red Sox blanched at including any of their top three prospects — outfielder Roman Anthony, super-utility man Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer — in a deal for Crochet.

The White Sox instead add to an increasingly strong farm system by getting the Red Sox’s past two first-round picks and two other well-regarded prospects.

Teel, 22, is the deal’s headliner and was the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s system in rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. Chosen 14th in the 2023 draft, he hit .288/.386/.433 between Double-A and Triple-A last year and is considered big league-ready. Between Teel and Edgar Quero, the 21-year-old acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in the 2023 trade for Giolito and Ky Bush, the White Sox have arguably the best prospect catching depth in baseball, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals.

Montgomery, 21, dropped to the 12th pick in this year’s draft after breaking his right ankle in June during a super regional game with Texas A&M. Projected to go as high as No. 3 in the draft, Montgomery is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound, switch-hitting outfielder with power from both sides of the plate and top-end arm strength. He was rated as the No. 5 prospect in the Red Sox system by ESPN.

Meidroth, 23, went to the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and has gotten on base at a .425 clip in his three pro seasons. While he projects to be a second baseman with limited power, Meidroth’s plate discipline — he has 199 walks against 180 strikeouts and has been hit by 28 pitches — will be his calling card. He played second base, shortstop and third base at Double-A this year and was 12th in ESPN’s prospect rankings for Boston.

Gonzalez, 22, was signed for $250,000 out of Venezuela in 2018 and developed into one of Boston’s best pitching prospects, landing at No. 17 in ESPN’s prospect rankings for the Red Sox. His mid-90s fastball is the best of a four-pitch mix, and while he has struggled with control, striking out 92 and walking 46 in 83⅔ innings at Double-A this season, he joins a strong group of pitching prospects in Chicago, with left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith and right-handers Jairo Iriarte, Grant Taylor and Mason Adams.

The Red Sox’s additions are unlikely to stop with Crochet. They have expressed interest in free agent Alex Bregman — who could play second base or the position he has played his whole career, third base, were the Red Sox to move Rafael Devers to first base — as well as the best starting pitcher available in free agency this winter, right-hander Corbin Burnes.