After years of low spending and reluctance to make moves for top talent, the Boston Red Sox finally made a huge move. Boston sent Kyle Teel (Catcher, #25 prospect in baseball), Braden Montgomery (OF, #54 prospect in baseball), infielder Chase Meidroth (Boston's No. 11 prospect), and right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez (Boston's No. 14 prospect) to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitcher Garrett Crochet.
For those of you unfamiliar, Garrett Crochet is a stud and will plug into Boston's rotation as the #1 starter instantly. Last year, in his first year as a full-time starter, Crochet had a 3.58 ERA in 146 innings pitched and struck out 209 batters. His record was 6-12; however, that was mainly due to him being on one of the worst teams in MLB history.
Crochet adds a much-needed ace to Boston's rotation. Since he was a reliever-turned-starter last year, Chicago forced him to have a light workload in terms of innings pitched (76th among MLB starters in innings pitched), yet he still ranked in the top 10 in strikeouts.
This is the kind of guy who, given the fact he stays healthy and is able to up the innings pitched, can be one of the most dominant pitchers in the league. His fastball is nasty and can hit 100+ MPH, a heavily controlled cutter, and a sweeper and changeup to round out his pitch-type package. As a 25-year-old who only became a starting pitcher a year ago, Crochet already has 4 complete pitches and could have 5 with a sinker after this coming year.
After the Sox lost out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, a move like this was much needed. However, they can't just stop here. Yes, Crochet is a great move, but they did not spend any money. Crochet is only set to make 2.9 million next year, meaning the team will still have plenty of money to go out and get more talent.
The Red Sox are not that far away. Boston has two main holes: A righty hitter and another proven starting pitcher. There's a multitude of hitters, all of which are righties, that the Red Sox are linked to. Those names include Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, 3B Alex Bregman, and 1B Pete Alonso. In terms of pitching, the Sox are apparently doing what they can to lock down Pitcher Corbin Burnes to a contract, while also looking into making another trade (the latest rumors have linked Boston to Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo).
If the Red Sox want to contend next season, they need to land Burnes and at least one righty bat. Signing Burnes not only takes away from a division opponent in Baltimore, but also gives you one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. Having Crochet and Burnes lead the top of the rotation, and putting them in line with solid pitchers like Tanner Houck, Cutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito, will improve the team drastically. Boston can also solidify their lineup with another righty hitter.
On top of that, getting either Hernández or Bregman is also essential. Both hitters get on base effectively and have power in their bats, making them great middle-of-the-lineup guys. Both are also solid defenders, which will help what was one of the worst defensive teams in the league last year.
Though it may seem like a lot, Boston has more than enough money to sign Burns and a righty hitter. If they were able to offer 700 million to Soto, then there is no reason why they couldn't offer around 300 million to Burnes, and around 150 million to 180 million to either Bregman or Hernandez.
Trading for a guy like Crochet is great, but if Boston can land a pitcher like Burnes, while also signing a proven righty bat, they instantly put themselves into playoff contention in a wide open AL East. The path is there for Boston; it is just a matter of whether or not ownership is willing to spend in order to get there.
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-Matt Hylen