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Red Sox Sign Garrett Crochet To Six-Year Extension

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Today: The Red Sox have officially announced Crochet’s extension. The full breakdown was reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Crochet gets a $4MM signing bonus followed by a salary of $24MM next year. He then gets $28MM annually from 2027 through 2030, followed by $30MM in 2031. Per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, there’s also a $15MM conditional club option for 2032 if Crochet misses 120 days due to a significant arm injury. His opt-out after 2030 would also be void if such an absence occurs before then.

March 31: The Red Sox have reportedly reached agreement with new ace Garrett Crochet on a six-year, $170MM extension that goes into effect in 2026. The CAA client can opt out after the 2030 season. The deal, which does not have any deferred money, includes an additional $10MM in escalators based on Cy Young finishes and a $2MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade, though there is not any no-trade protection.

Crochet, who turns 26 in June, was on track to hit free agency after the 2026 season. The extension leaves unchanged his $3.8MM salary for this year. It buys out his final arbitration season and five free agent years, though the opt-out means it “only” extends the team control window by four seasons.

Boston acquired Crochet in one of the offseason’s biggest trades. They packaged four prospects, including their two most recent first-rounders Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, to land the All-Star lefty from the White Sox. Crochet had seemed likely to move at last summer’s deadline until a late revelation that his camp was seeking an extension if he were to continue pitching through a playoff race.

Crochet was wrapping up his first full season as a starting pitcher. The 6’6″ southpaw threw a total of 132 innings in college at Tennessee. His draft year was cut short by the cancelation of the 2020 college season. The White Sox selected him 11th overall and fast-tracked him to the big leagues as a reliever. Crochet pitched well in that role for his first year-plus but blew out his elbow in Spring Training 2022. He underwent Tommy John surgery that cost him that season and limited him to 12 2/3 innings the following year.

By the time he’d returned from the Tommy John rehab, the White Sox were in full rebuild mode. They took the high-upside play of giving Crochet a chance to start going into 2024. They probably didn’t expect him to pitch as well as he did. Crochet’s stuff was still overpowering as a starter. He struck out 35.2% of opposing hitters en route to a 3.02 ERA in 107 1/3 frames through the All-Star Break. Chicago dramatically pulled back his workload after the trade deadline. While they kept him on a regular rotation schedule, the White Sox limited him to 2-4 inning appearances for the final two months of the season. That was a prudent approach to keep him healthy after essentially two straight lost years.

Crochet finished the year with a 3.58 ERA across 146 2/3 innings. He struck out 209 hitters while issuing only 33 walks. No other pitcher with at least 100 innings posted a better strikeout rate than his 35.1% mark. On a per-pitch basis, only Blake Snell got more swinging strikes. Crochet’s already impressive ERA was probably a bit inflated by pitching in front of a poor White Sox defense. His swing-and-miss ability pointed to ace upside so long as he could maintain his stuff while working a regular starting workload for a full season.

The Red Sox clearly believe that’s realistic. They parted with a decent amount of prospect talent to acquire Crochet’s final two years of arbitration eligibility. They almost immediately opened extension conversations. Unlike last summer, there was never any doubt that Crochet would pitch into October this year (so long as he stays healthy) regardless of whether a deal got done. Crochet indicated he’d table discussions come Opening Day. That’s a common refrain among players, but it’s not unheard of for players to back off that self-imposed deadline if there’s only a narrow gap as the regular season begins.

Crochet made his first start in a Boston uniform in the interim. He worked five innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts against Texas on Opening Day. While nothing got done last week, he told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Friday that talks had gone “to the wire” and said that boded well for whenever they reopened discussions. They were evidently close enough to continue communications and get the deal done.

It will not have any impact on this year’s payroll calculations. Crochet is making a modest salary, as his arbitration earning potential had been limited by his lack of innings. That’ll jump beginning next year. The specific salary structure has not been reported, but the contract will count for roughly $28.33MM against Boston’s luxury tax ledger each season from 2026-31.

Crochet would likely have earned something in the $8-10MM range for his final year of arbitration. The Red Sox are valuing the would-be free agent seasons around $32MM annually. That’s a similar range to what Snell commanded in terms of net present value on his five-year free agent deal with the Dodgers. Corbin Burnes got $35MM per season on a six-year deal with Arizona, while Max Fried received a $27.25MM annual value and got eight years from the Yankees. The Red Sox valued Crochet’s free agent years the way they would for a #1/2 type starter.

Crochet technically sets a new standard for starting pitcher extensions in the 4-5 year service bucket. Jacob deGrom’s $120.5MM deal with the Mets from six years ago had been the only nine-figure contract for a pitcher in that service class. Crochet easily topped that. Still, his extension arguably fits better in the 5-6 year service bracket, since it doesn’t go into effect until his final year of arbitration. Nine-figure contracts for pitchers in that class are more common, but Crochet still handily beats the recent guarantees for Luis Castillo ($108MM) and José Berríos ($131MM).

This is the fifth significant contract that the Sox have on the books for at least two years beyond this one. Alex Bregman will make $40MM annually through 2027, though he can opt out after each of the next two seasons and a good portion of his money is deferred. Rafael Devers is signed through 2033 on salaries ranging from $27.5MM to $31MM. Trevor Story will make $25MM per season between 2026-27, assuming he doesn’t opt out next winter. Masataka Yoshida is under contract for $18.6MM annually for another two years.

It’s a risky move for the Red Sox, one that reaffirms their belief that Crochet will be a top-of-the-rotation starter for years to come. They’re buying what they expect to be his prime, as he’s signed from ages 26-32. If he stays healthy and lives up to the ace potential, Crochet could opt out before his age-32 season and potentially command another five- or six-year contract.

Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported that the Red Sox and Crochet agreed to a six-year, $170MM deal beginning in ’26 with the opt-out and no deferred money. Robert Murray of FanSided was first with the $10MM in escalators, which Mark Feinsand of MLB.com specified were based on Cy Young placement. Feinsand had the assignment bonus and absence of no-trade protection.

Image courtesy of Chris Tilley, Imagn Images.

Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox

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After finishing 2024 with an 81-81 record, the Red Sox rose from their lengthy slumber to once again assert themselves as a force in the offseason market with substantial upgrades all around the roster. Will it be enough to get back to the postseason?

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $79.55MM
Total spending: $172.3MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Waiver Claims

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

After four straight seasons without a playoff berth, the Red Sox entered the winter with plenty of positive signs. Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Richard Fitts looked like an enviable nucleus of young rotation talent under team control, while Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu enjoyed breakout seasons in the outfield. With the best young talent, including baseball's #1 prospect Roman Anthony, and three other top-50 talents in Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Kyle Teel knocking on the door, it seemed clear that the time was now for the club to push its chips in and force open a new competitive window.

While there was some skepticism about the club's intentions at the outset of the offseason, particularly after last winter's "full-throttle" comments led to a quiet offseason that brought little new talent into the fold, the club quickly showed itself to be a legitimate threat to spend when it emerged as a surprise finalist for the services of Juan Soto alongside expected contenders like the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. The Red Sox ultimately fell short of that pursuit, finishing alongside Toronto ahead of L.A. but behind the two New York teams. Even as Soto landed in Queens, however, Boston's apparent willingness to give out a contract in the range of $700MM made clear they were serious about improving this winter.

In the aftermath of Soto signing elsewhere, the Red Sox had two main priorities to address: adding a big right-handed bat to the lineup, and bringing in an ace (preferably one that throws left-handed) to lead their young but talented pitching staff. Initial attempts to bring in players like Max Fried (who eventually signed in the Bronx) and Teoscar Hernandez (who eventually returned to the Dodgers) fell apart, but the Red Sox didn't let the league's biggest spenders nabbing their top targets stop them from addressing their needs in a big way. During the Winter Meetings, the Red Sox echoed the Chris Sale trade by swinging a blockbuster with the White Sox that saw them surrender a bevy of talented prospects in exchange for an extremely talented southpaw.

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Red Sox, Kristian Campbell In “Deep Talks” On Extension

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The Red Sox and star prospect Kristian Campbell are in “deep talks” regarding a potential contract extension, according to a report from Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The terms of the potential deal between the sides are not yet clear. For his part, Campbell told reporters (including WEEI’s Rob Bradford) after this evening’s game that his camp is talking to the Red Sox about an extension but would not say whether or not he’d consider a deal to be “close” or not. While Campbell wouldn’t tip his hand about the negotiations, Cotillo reports that one source described the deal as “close” and adds that a source with the Red Sox described the team as “hopeful” that a deal would come together.

Campbell, 22, was Boston’s fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft. Despite his later-round draft status, he hit quite well in 22 games down the stretch in his draft year before exploding onto the prospect map last year. After starting the season at the High-A level, Campbell blitzed through the minor leagues to reach Triple-A by the end of the season, slashing a sensational .330/.439/.558 along the way with 20 homers, 32 doubles, and 24 steals in 115 games along the way while splitting time between shortstop, second base, and the outfield. Campbell’s incredible performance made him a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport over the course of a single season, as he had not cracked a single major top-100 list prior to the 2024 campaign.

After making to to Triple-A before the end of the year last season and doing well for himself there (.286/.412/.486 in 85 PAs), Campbell was bandied about throughout the winter as a potential option for the club’s Opening Day second base job. Those plans appeared likely to be scuttled when the club signed Alex Bregman to round out their infield last month, which led many to assume he would fill the void at the keystone with Rafael Devers entrenched at third base. The club’s desire to give Campbell a path to playing time in the majors changed things, however, and the Red Sox positioned Bregman as their Opening Day third baseman instead. That pushed Devers into a DH role and opened up second for a competition between incumbent options David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom as well as prospects Campbell and Marcelo Mayer.

Hamilton’s solid 2024 and strong spring, Mayer’s blistering performance during camp, and struggles from Campbell himself during Spring Training all made the camp battle for the second base so competitive that just under 31% of respondents to an MLBTR poll last week selected Campbell as the club’s Opening Day second baseman. He departed camp with the keys to the position nonetheless after being viewed as the favorite for much of the spring. The Red Sox are, of course, only three games into the regular season at this point. Even so, rostering Campbell has looked like a wise decision so far as he’s collected five hits in ten at-bats with a double, a home run, and two walks while playing adequate defense both at second base and in left field.

With a player who could be a burgeoning star on their hands, the Red Sox appear to be wasting no time in attempting to lock him up beyond his standard six years of club control, which figure to keep him in town through the end of the 2030 season as things stand. The club reportedly had interest in exploring deals with their top prospects—Campbell, Mayer, and outfielder Roman Anthony— as far back as January. While the club appeared focused primarily on attempting to lock up ace southpaw Garrett Crochet during Spring Training, a pursuit they ultimately fell short in, the Red Sox demonstrated their comfort with continuing negotiations into the season just last year when they extended utility man Ceddanne Rafaela on an eight-year, $50MM deal.

It was part of an organizational shift towards locking up young talent earlier in their careers last spring, which also saw the club sign right-hander Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55MM extension. Campbell is generally viewed as being on another level compared to those two, however, even as Rafaela and Bello were impressive prospects in their own rights. It’s possible that prospect pedigree and offensive upside could translate to a healthier guarantee, with the eight-year, $82MM deal Jackson Chourio signed with the Brewers prior to the 2024 campaign serving as another potentially relevant point of comparison.

Whatever the financial cost ends up being, it will likely pale in comparison to what Campbell would make on the open market if he were to hit free agency ahead of his age-29 season after fulfilling his potential. That potential for an enormous discount would be offset by the considerable risk assumed by the Red Sox in the event of injury or under-performance on the part of Campbell. Jon Singleton and Scott Kingery are among the handful of examples of players who signed extensions at the outset of their MLB careers who went on to fizzle out in the majors, though the Red Sox surely have plenty of confidence in Campbell to avoid the same fate.

Red Sox Notes: Devers, Mayer, Fulmer

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Rafael Devers’ position switch from third base to DH has been one of the offseason’s top subplots, as it dovetailed with Boston signing Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120MM contract to become the club’s new everyday third baseman.  Red Sox manager Alex Cora added another wrinkle to the situation when speaking with reporters (including The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) yesterday, noting that Devers isn’t in the third base plans at all, as Romy Gonzalez will step in at the hot corner when Bregman needs a day off.

“Raffy is going to DH,” Cora said.  “We had a conversation, we talked about it.  He’s DHing.  He’s the DH of the Boston Red Sox.  One thing is we don’t want him to overthink it.  Don’t get caught up in the whole thing.  He’ll be OK.”

It isn’t known how the Sox might adjust if Bregman were to miss an extended amount of time on the injured list, yet Cora’s statement pretty plainly underscores Boston’s commitment to keeping Devers in a batter-only capacity for the time being.  McCaffrey writes that Devers is still taking grounders at third base as part of pregame warmups, possibly as a way of maintaining some part of his past pregame routine while adjusting overall to his new reality as a designated hitter.

The early results haven’t been great, as Devers is 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts in his first eight trips to the plate in 2025.  Naturally, two games is a minuscule sample size, and some rust was probably expected given how Devers only appeared in five Spring Training games.  Devers spent a good chunk of the offseason dealing with inflammation in both shoulders, and thus the Red Sox lessened his workload in camp as Devers worked his way back to full health.  The shoulder issue’s impact on Devers’ also surely factored into the team’s decision to keep Devers in a DH capacity.

While plans may change as the season develops, it would certainly seem like the Sox are trying to ease Devers into a full-time DH role over the long-term.  Bregman can opt out of his contract after the season, and while Devers could potentially be moved back over to third base after a year off, it would seem more likely that the Red Sox would use Bregman’s departure as a way to get star prospect Marcelo Mayer into the lineup.

Mayer made his Triple-A debut in Worcester’s game with the Syracuse Mets yesterday, and it is widely expected that the infielder will be making his MLB debut at some point in 2025.  If Mayer had had his way, he would’ve skipped Triple-A entirely and already be part of the Sox roster after posting huge numbers in Spring Training.

“Based on performance, I feel like I did earn a spot on that team,” Mayer said in an interview on WEEI’s Jones & Keefe show.  “With that being said, things didn’t go my way and now I’m here [in Triple-A] and I’m just going to get after it every single day, and keep doing what I’m doing.”

The comments caused a bit of a stir on social media, yet Cora told MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and other reporters that he “100 percent” wants to see his players share Mayer’s confident attitude.  Obviously Mayer’s production will dictate how quickly he might join the Show, yet given the crowded nature of Boston’s current roster, it will be interesting to see how the Red Sox will carve out playing time for the fourth overall pick.  Since the Sox don’t want to call Mayer up just to have him ride the bench, perhaps some kind of injury might need to arise before a Mayer promotion is really on the radar.

Michael Fulmer is also in Worcester, and will be working as a starting pitcher during his time in the minors, Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham told Smith.  There is some flexibility at play since Abraham said “as of right now” Fulmer will start, but the Sox seem interested in stretching Fulmer out to see what he can do in a potential return to a starting role.

Beginning his career as a starter with the Tigers, Fulmer enjoyed some instant success in capturing AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2016.  Injuries (including a Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2019) necessitated a move to the bullpen in 2021, and Fulmer seemed to thrive in that role while pitching with the Tigers, Twins, and Cubs over the 2021-23 seasons.  Unfortunately, Fulmer continued to battle health problems, and he underwent a UCL revision in October 2023 that cost him another full season, as he didn’t pitch at all in 2024.

The Red Sox inked Fulmer to a two-year minor league contract in February 2024, with the understanding that he’d take the first year to rehab and then prep for a return this season.  Fulmer told Smith that he and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow even discussed a possible return to starting pitching when the contract was first signed, and Fulmer is open to working in any capacity.

“If it sticks, it sticks.  If it doesn’t, then I go back to the bullpen,” Fulmer said.  “I did the transition once and it was a fairly easy transition. I’ve enjoyed both [roles].”

Red Sox, Garrett Crochet Expected To Table Extension Talks

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March 28: While talks are on pause because of Crochet’s self-imposed Opening Day cutoff, it seems the sides got relatively close. Crochet tells WEEI’s Rob Bradford that discussions went “down to the wire” and that he didn’t feel there was a large gap. Asked by Bradford if that provided reason for optimism whenever talks resume — presumably next offseason — Crochet replied that was “definitely fair to say.”

March 27: Earlier this month, newly-acquired Red Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet set a deadline of Opening Day in extension talks with his new club. With Crochet scheduled to take the mound for Boston against the Rangers this afternoon, that deadline has now passed and it seems as though no deal is in place between the sides. MassLive’s Chris Cotillo relays that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters “not to expect” a Crochet extension at this point, while WEEI’s Rob Bradford adds that Breslow said he intends to respect Crochet’s stated desire to not negotiate during the season.

Ever since Crochet came to Boston in a trade where the Red Sox surrendered a package of four prospects headlined by top-100 talents Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, hammering out an extension with the southpaw has seemed likely to be a priority for the club with just two seasons remaining until the southpaw reaches free agency. The 2024 All-Star made his first career MLB start on Opening Day for the White Sox last year, but that lack of experience did little to slow him down as he pitched to a 3.58 ERA (115 ERA+) while posting a sterling 2.69 FIP and striking out an incredible 35.1% of his opponents in 32 starts.

As much as the 2024 campaign did to establish Crochet as one of the league’s premiere front-of-the-rotation arms, however, it did little to settle his value on a long-term deal. As previously mentioned, the lefty had no experience as a starter in the majors or minors prior to 2024 due to injuries limiting him throughout his young career. He’d not thrown even 55 innings in a professional season before 2024, and even last year he threw just 146 innings while averaging roughly 3 1/3 innings per start in the second half. The fact that the lefty has not yet participated in a full MLB season with a starter’s typical workload works against Crochet’s value, even as the 25-year-old’s youth, tantalizing stuff and huge strikeout numbers make a case for him as among the most valuable assets in the sport.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Crochet’s value, it’s not necessarily shocking the sides were unable to agree to terms. Reporting last summer indicated that Crochet may have been targeting Tyler Glasnow’s $136.5MM guarantee with the Dodgers as a ballpark comparison for his extension talks with the White Sox, though it’s unclear how his demands may have changed after moving to Boston. That sort of outlay for a pitcher with Crochet’s health question marks may have been difficult for the Red Sox to stomach without getting to see him pitch up close, and now it appears they’ll have that opportunity in 2025. There’s nothing stopping the sides from resuming extension talks next offseason, though considering that it’ll be Crochet’s final before free agency it’s likely that another strong season from the lefty would leave the Red Sox to pay nearly full-market value in an extension next winter.

In other Red Sox news, Sean McAdam of MassLive reported this afternoon that outfielder Masataka Yoshida is headed to Boston for a consultation as he deals with a back issue. McAdam adds that Yoshida, who is on the injured list as he rehabs from offseason shoulder surgery, will remain in Boston to continue his rehab following the consultation. Yoshida was previously expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment as he builds up arm strength ahead of a return to the outfield for the first time (aside from a one-inning cameo last year) since 2023, though it now appears he’ll rehab with the big league club for at least the time being. A career .285/.343/.433 hitter across two seasons in the majors, Yoshida served as Boston’s regular DH last year but was bumped out of that spot by the signing of third baseman Alex Bregman, who pushed incumbent third baseman Rafael Devers to DH.

Red Sox Place Liam Hendriks On 15-Day IL

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March 28: Despite the season-opening IL placement, Hendriks is not facing a severe injury, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic writes. He’s already been examined by Dr. Keith Meister, who performed his Tommy John surgery, and received a cortisone injection to help alleviate some inflammation and discomfort stemming from a compressed nerve. There’s no structural damage in Hendriks’ elbow. He’ll be shut down from throwing for three to five days but expects to resume throwing during next week’s series against the Orioles.

March 27: The Red Sox announced a slate of transactions to finalize their Opening Day roster, including a surprise placement of righty Liam Hendriks on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation. Fellow right-hander Cooper Criswell, who had appeared ticketed for Triple-A Worcester, will instead break camp with the big league club.

Boston also selected the contracts of lefty Sean Newcomb and top prospect Kristian Campbell. Both have formally made the Opening Day roster. Lefties Chris Murphy and Zach Penrod were placed on the 60-day injured list to open spots. Murphy is recovering from UCL surgery performed last spring. Penrod was diagnosed with a left elbow sprain earlier in camp.

Additionally, the Red Sox placed Masataka Yoshida on the 10-day IL as he continues building back up from offseason shoulder surgery. Righties Brayan Bello (shoulder strain), Kutter Crawford (patellar tendinopathy) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring strain) were all placed on the 15-day IL, as expected.

Hendriks, who turned 36 last month, is entering the second season of a two-year, $10MM deal. The Red Sox signed him knowing that he’d miss most of all of the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The expectation early in camp was that he and offseason signee Aroldis Chapman could compete for ninth-inning work. The tide changed quickly. Chapman fanned 14 of the 30 batters he faced and held opponents to two runs in 7 1/3 innings. Hendriks allowed seven runs on 14 hits in just 6 1/3 frames. He didn’t walk anyone but also only whiffed four of the 32 hitters he faced.

The Red Sox haven’t yet provided a timetable for when Hendriks might return to the mound. For now, there’s no indication that he’s dealing with a long-term injury. Presumably, manager Alex Cora will have more information regarding his potential timetable when he meets with the media later today.

Dodgers Acquire Noah Davis From Red Sox

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The Dodgers announced that they’ve acquired righty Noah Davis from the Red Sox in exchange for cash. He’ll go onto the team’s 40-man roster and be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Los Angeles placed righty Emmet Sheehan, who’s recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery, on the 60-day injured list to create roster space.

Davis had been a non-roster player with Boston after signing a minor league deal. It seems likely that he had an upward mobility clause in his deal, which if exercised requires his current club to make him available to all 29 other teams and let him go if another team is willing to put him on the 40-man roster.

Davis, 28 next month, is a former 11th-round pick by the Reds who’s spent the bulk of his career in the Rockies organization. Cincinnati traded him to Colorado in 2021’s Mychal Givens swap. He’s pitched in three MLB seasons with the Rox, logging a grisly 7.71 earned run average in 51 1/3 innings. Davis has fanned 17.3% of his opponents against a 9.2% walk rate. Both are worse than the league average (the strikeout rate in particular).

Despite the shaky track record, Davis has held his own (relatively speaking) in an intensely hitter-friendly environment with the Triple-A Pacific Coast League’s Albuquerque Isotopes (the Rockies’ top affiliate). His 5.06 ERA in 133 1/3 innings there doesn’t look like much, but he ranks 19th in the PCL in ERA over the past three seasons (among pitchers with 130+ innings). Only four pitchers in that span have kept an ERA under 4.00 in as many innings.

Davis had a decent spring. He allowed five runs in 9 1/3 frames, which isn’t great, but did so while yielding only seven hits and recording a 9-to-1 K/BB ratio. He’ll give the Dodgers some rotation depth at a time when Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Clayton Kershaw, River Ryan, Tony Gonsolin and Kyle Hurt are all on the injured list.

Red Sox Notes: Eovaldi, Zavala, Gambrell

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Nathan Eovaldi started for the Red Sox on Opening Day each year from 2020-22, pitching a combined 16 1/3 innings with a 2.76 ERA. Today, the Red Sox will face their former no. 1 starter on Opening Day, sending their new ace, Garrett Crochet, to the bump against Eovaldi and the Rangers.

Facing Eovaldi is never an enviable task – the right-hander has a winning record and an ERA under 4.00 in each of the past five seasons – but the Red Sox, in particular, probably aren’t thrilled to be meeting up with their old friend this afternoon. After all, they made an effort to re-acquire him this past offseason, and as it turns out, they were the runner-up for his services. According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, six teams showed legitimate interest in signing Eovaldi this winter, but the veteran’s decision ultimately came down to Texas or Boston. However, it’s not known how much money the Red Sox were willing to offer or if their final bid came close to the three-year, $75MM guarantee he landed with the Rangers.

Interestingly, Boston’s trade for Crochet came together less than 24 hours after Eovaldi signed with Texas. That’s not to say the Red Sox wouldn’t have pursued Crochet if they landed Eovaldi, but it’s a possibility worth considering. If that’s true, one could argue that missing out on Eovaldi was the best possible outcome for Craig Breslow and company. Eovaldi is a great pitcher, but Crochet is coming off an All-Star season and already looks like a strong early contender for the AL Cy Young.

Of course, the Red Sox would have been even better off with both Crochet and Eovaldi atop their rotation, especially now that so many of their other starters are on the IL, namely Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, and Kutter Crawford. And while the Red Sox surely have high hopes for the free agents starters they added this offseason – Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval – Eovaldi would have been a far less risky signing.

In other Red Sox news, catcher Seby Zavala has accepted his outright assignment and will begin the season with the Triple-A WooSox, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The 31-year-old was informed last week that he would not be making the Opening Day roster. While the minor league deal he signed with Boston in November included an assignment clause that allowed him to seek out an opportunity on another team’s 40-man roster, it appears he was not able to find such an opportunity and has instead reported to Triple-A. A veteran of five big league seasons, Zavala is a plus defender with 183 games of MLB catching experience. He will offer the Red Sox depth behind starting catcher Connor Wong, backup Carlos Narvaez, and Blake Sabol, who has a spot on the 40-man roster but will start the season at Triple-A.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have released Grant Gambrell, a minor league right-handed starter (h/t to Christopher Smith of MassLive). Gambrell was one of five players Boston received in 2021 as part of the three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi to the Royals. The Red Sox initially acquired outfielder Franchy Cordero from Kansas City and right-hander Josh Winckowski from the Mets, while Gambrell was one of three players to be named later, along with fellow righty Luis De La Rosa and outfielder Freddy Valdez. As Smith points out, Winckowski is now the only player from that trade who is still playing in the Red Sox organization. Gambrell had pitched relatively well in Boston’s system over the past two years, putting up a 3.81 ERA and 4.29 FIP in 41 games (39 starts). However, he was never a top prospect, and now 27 years old, the Red Sox have evidently decided he does not fit into their future plans.

Cora: Devers Will Be Red Sox’ Primary Designated Hitter

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed today in an appearance on WEEI radio what has looked increasingly likely as spring training has progressed: Rafael Devers will serve as the Red Sox’ primary designated hitter in 2025, while newly signed Alex Bregman will take over at the hot corner (link via WEEI’s Ken Laird). “Alex is going to play third,” said Cora. “Raffy’s going to DH. We all are in the winning business. He understands that.”

It’s not a shock given recent developments but still notable to get a firm declaration on what will be a surprising pivot for the club. Devers has been Boston’s third baseman for a long time and seemed likely to stay there well into the future. The club signed him to a massive extension ahead of the 2023 season, locking him up through 2033. His defense was never well regarded but it seemed that he would get a chance to stick at the hot corner for a while based on his status within the organization.

Even once Bregman was signed, it seemed possible that Devers would stay at third. Bregman’s reps had maintained throughout the winter that he was willing to move to second base as a way to keep his market as open as possible. The Sox came into 2025 with some notable middle infield prospects but didn’t have a clear everyday guy at second in 2024.

But as alluded to, the plans became more clear as time went on. Bregman was only playing third base in camp. Devers wasn’t playing many official spring games and was only serving as the DH when he was in there. It was suggested that perhaps this was due to some shoulder problems he dealt with last year but it has become abundantly clear that the club just wants him to DH this year. Prospect Kristian Campbell will crack the Opening Day roster and seemingly be the regular second baseman.

The move makes sense from a competitive standpoint. Devers has been credited with -62 Defensive Runs Saved and -29 Outs Above Average in his career. Bregman’s tallies in those categories are +27 DRS and +22 OAA.

That’s an obvious choice in a vacuum but it’s unclear if there will be intangible effects in terms of clubhouse morale. Devers was initially adamant that he wouldn’t be moving off third, saying that he was promised that he could be there for the long haul. That promise was made while Chaim Bloom was still the chief baseball officer but he was later replaced by Craig Breslow. The new regime seems uninterested in honoring the promise of the previous one.

There are other questions left to be answered as well. Bregman’s three-year deal comes with opt-outs after each season. If he departs after 2025, will Devers get a chance to retake the spot next year? What if Bregman suffers a significant injury during the 2025 season?

Then there’s also the Masataka Yoshida factor. He made his major league debut in 2023 with a solid .289/.338/.445 line and 110 wRC+, but with bad defensive metrics in the outfield. Last year, he logged just a single inning in the field, limited to DH duty. His offense was similar to the year before, with a .280/.349/.415 line and 115 wRC+, but he apparently wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement.

He required shoulder surgery in October and is going to start the season on the injured list. He was healthy enough to hit during the spring but still needs to fully ramp up his throwing abilities in the wake of that surgery. With Devers in the DH spot, he will have to jog out onto the grass into order to get into the lineup. The Sox project to have Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in three outfield spots, with Rob Refsnyder on the bench. Prospect Roman Anthony will also be pushing for a major league debut soon.

If everyone’s healthy, it will be tough for Yoshida to work his way in there. He still has three years and $54MM left on his deal. Given his modest production thus far, no other club will want to take all of that on. Rebuilding trade value will be tough if he can’t get in there fore regular playing time. Moving to first base isn’t an option for Devers or Yoshida with Triston Casas in that spot and under club control through 2028.

It’s a complicated puzzle and one that will probably continue to be talked about throughout the year. Cora’s declaration today gives confirmation to what was already obvious. The unanswered questions remain.

Red Sox Likely To Select Sean Newcomb

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Minor league signee Sean Newcomb is likely to begin the season as the Red Sox’s fifth starter, manager Alex Cora tells reporters (including Alex Speier of The Boston Globe). The Sox would need to add the southpaw to their 40-man roster if he breaks camp.

Newcomb hasn’t held a consistent rotation role for seven years. He started 30 games for the Braves in 2018. The former first-round pick hasn’t reached five starts in an MLB season since then. Newcomb looked like a potential mid-rotation arm early in his career. Scattershot command pushed him to the bullpen and eventually into journeyman territory. Newcomb has allowed a 6.66 earned run average in 98 2/3 frames divided between three teams since the start of 2020.

The 31-year-old has made seven MLB appearances for the A’s in each of the last two seasons. He worked 10 innings last year and walked eight batters while recording seven strikeouts. He gave up seven runs. Newcomb had opened the year on the 60-day injured list with left knee soreness and was released in July, so he barely pitched. The Massachusetts native signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox in January.

Newcomb has had a fantastic Spring Training. He has worked 14 1/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out 13 against three walks. He nevertheless would not have secured a season-opening rotation spot if not for a few injuries. Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford are all beginning the year on the injured list.

Giolito and Bello should be back by the middle of April, so Newcomb’s stint in the rotation might be brief. He’ll land behind Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler and Richard Fitts to begin the year. If he pitches well, Newcomb could kick into the bullpen. As a player with over five years of service time, he could refuse any minor league assignments once he officially cracks the 40-man roster.

Boston will also need to open a roster spot for top prospect Kristian Campbell, who’ll break camp and should play regularly at second base. Zach Penrod and Chris Murphy are candidates to move to the 60-day IL if the Sox don’t want to designate anyone for assignment.

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