Ever since they swung a deal with the White Sox to land prized southpaw Garrett Crochet back in December, extending the southpaw’s stay in Boston beyond his final two years of team control has appeared to be a top priority for the Red Sox. The club reportedly approached Crochet about the possibility in early January, and at that point Crochet expressed interest in getting a deal done. With that being said, however, Crochet has seemed to be more interested in betting on himself of late. The latest news regarding the state of talks comes from a recent interview Crochet sat down for with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, where he revealed he was not interested in continuing extension discussions into the regular season when it begins on March 27.
“For me personally, once the season starts, I would like for whatever conversations are currently being had to be placed on the back burner until the following offseason,” said Crochet, as relayed by Speier. Crochet went on to note that he doesn’t want the possibility of an extension to serve as a distraction for either himself or his teammates once the regular season gets underway.
Between the newly imposed deadline and comments Crochet made to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo last month where he expressed interest in playing out the 2025 season before signing a long-term deal, it’s perhaps not a shock that more than 65% of respondents to a recent MLBTR Poll suggested that they expect Crochet to enter the 2025 season without an extension in place. With that being said, it’s possible that Crochet’s disinterest in negotiating beyond Opening Day convinces the sides to work more aggressively towards a deal in the final weeks of Spring Training. For his part, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow expressed to Speier both his interest in getting Crochet locked up long-term and confidence that the front office would have the financial support of ownership when it comes to getting a deal done.
“When there is an opportunity that makes sense for the Red Sox, we have the support of ownership,” Breslow said, as relayed by Speier. “…I think if there are opportunities to keep players that we identify as cornerstones of a run of success in a Red Sox uniform, that will be greeted with the same enthusiasm.”
That Crochet is the sort of player Red Sox brass—and ownership—might be willing to extend themselves in order to add is hardly a surprise. After all, the club gave up a massive prospect package headlined by top-100 talents Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery in order to acquire Crochet during this offseason’s Winter Meetings, and Crochet’s talent speaks for itself after he posted a 3.58 ERA and 2.69 FIP in 32 starts for the White Sox last year in his first season as a big league starting pitcher.
The raw ability Crochet flashed during the 2024 campaign combined with the 25-year-old’s youth should be enough to earn the southpaw a hefty contract in free agency, so long as he stays healthy and effective over the next two seasons. That qualifier is necessary for virtually any pitcher in an age where season-ending surgeries with rehab timelines of a year or longer becoming increasingly commonplace, but it’s especially true for Crochet. After all, the lefty’s 146 innings of work last year were nearly triple what he’d ever done in the majors prior to this year, and well above the 65 innings Crochet maxed out at even during his college days.
Injuries cost Crochet almost the entirety of the first stage of his career, and it would hardly be surprising if the Red Sox had some trepidation about offering the lefty a massive extension given his injury history. With that being said, it’s difficult to argue that the Red Sox couldn’t afford to pay Crochet a hefty sum. After all, the club’s projected payroll for 2025 according to RosterResource is just $210MM even after signing Alex Bregman to a massive three-year guarantee last month. While that’s a bump up from recent years, it’s lower than even the club’s 2022 payroll, to say nothing of the $242MM the club spent in 2019.
Perhaps, then, the best thing for both sides could be waiting until after the 2025 campaign to get a deal done. If Crochet puts up a strong season this year, that could give the lefty a more credible claim to the sort of huge extension he’s surely hoping to land while also affording the Red Sox an up-close look at him over the course of the 2025 season, which could give them more confidence in locking up the southpaw on a deal that could reasonably stretch into his mid-to-late 30s.
im not saying hes not talented
but ive never seen a pitcher with so few innings after 5 seasons, including nearly 2 yrs being injured, get so much attention with talks of extension. how about he prove something first? he’s had ONE great season. he has thrown more than 54 innings ONCE in his career. he talks alot and makes alot of demands. how about show up on the field consistently, produce consistently, remain healthy consistently, and THEN make contract demands?
Chandler – You are 100% correct! This latest demand is just a tactic to pressure the Sox into giving him what he wants. It’s Sale all over again, except Chris didn’t make obnoxious demands.
I say wait until after the season before giving 9 figures to a guy with only TEN GOOD CAREER STARTS.
I wouldn’t characterize it as a demand. He’s simply stating that he doesn’t want to deal with contract negotiations during the season. A lot of players take that approach.
“I wouldn’t characterize”..It’s a demand. Announcing it publicly makes it a negotiating/pressuring tactic, because there’s no reason or real benefit to a player publicly stating or revealing his negotiating and contract strategy other than subtle pressure.
Why not just tell the GM or POBO privately you won’t negotiate past opening day? Historically players were always advised by their negotiating representatives to not even discuss their contract publicly because the public can’t sign you, only the team can.
What I took away was his exact quote… he doesn’t want to be asked questions about it. He doesn’t want to be a distraction during a year where they can really go a long way in the playoffs.
I’d give you the fact that his camp is maybe laying some pressure on the FO. But I think overall, he just doesn’t wanna answer questions about it. Crochet knows that he could probably get 6/100 right now, but if he has a stellar 2025, the contract goes to 6/150-180. He’s just dialed in for a big year.
How dare he look out for himself!
There is a benefit. It stops constant questions during the season from the media about whether he’s in talks, has been offered an extension and how much he needs to resign, etc.
And if you read the quote, he doesn’t sound like he’s drawing a contentious line in the sand. It sounds like he just doesn’t want distractions during the season.
Ken – I know it’s common these days for some people to change definitions to suit their agenda, but I don’t believe in that.
Per good old Merriam Webster:
“not open to appeal or challenge; final.”
Did Crochet say something like “I would prefer we not negotiate during the season, but if management insists on making offers during the season then we would certainly listen and respond”.
No, he did not.
Even if he had simply said “I would prefer not negotiating during the season” that would have NOT been a demand.
But instead he said flat out he and his agent will not engage in negotiations during the season.
Again, “not open to appeal or challenge; final.”.
This guy just loves making demands.
And you know what? Players who are confident they will be healthy and productive do NOT engage in extension talks.
Like Roman Anthony. He said he has no interest in an extension now, he wants to go year by year.
You know why?
Because Anthony is likely gonna be a stud, and he knows it.
Swan – You’re talking about creating drama when it’s totally unnecessary.
His AGENT handles the negotiations.
As for reporters asking questions, there’s a really simple way to handle that. The Red Sox and/or Crochet and/or his agent tell the media “Do not ask any contract questions during the season, if you do they will be ignored”.
I mean really, how hard is that?
And BTW …. he’s under team control for two years, making just $3.8 million this year. So yeah, if he signs now it will be less than if he has a great year and signs next offseason …. but we already knew that because he’s dirt cheap under team control so instead of paying him $60M combined for 2025/2026 (your scenario) they would pay him maybe $20M combined.
In other words, a contract next offseason would NOT include 2025 and may not include 2026.
Therefore they would NOT be saving money by signing him now.
“For me personally, once the season starts, I would like for whatever conversations are currently being had to be placed on the back burner until the following offseason,” said Crochet
That’s not a demand.
Exactly Ken. This is nothing, but trolls will troll.
That animal better not make his own best interests his first priority! Scum I say!
You’re kinda coming out hot today. Almost at a Fever Pitch, guy.
Just ignore this nonsense and see what happens.
Wade – Show me where I said what Crochet did was wrong.
I merely stated Crochet made a demand, which is his right to do so … no matter how obnoxious he comes across in doing so (like last year when he made the “no postseason pitching” demand, which didn’t even make sense considering he mentioned nothing about his August/September usage).
The people who are “coming out hot” are those like you with the “Oh my God they are attacking my baby, they are attacking a player I idolize, oh the horror, I must defend Crochet!!!”
Triggered because I simply called a demand what it is, a demand. Wow.
I mean seriously, idol worship ain’t cool dude. Just sayin’ …..
dewey – Agree 100%!! This nonsense never should have even been made public. Why was it? That’s what people just don’t get, so much unnecessary drama in the Red Sox world.
It could have and should have been kept confidential.
Unlike the Rice incident, which had to be reported because the two of them had to be physically separated from each other with others witnessing the incident.
I was pretty proud of my fever pitch guy comment. The other one was a reply to another person’s comment that got moved down for some reason. Nothing I comment should be taken seriously by anyone.
Wade – No worries, I’m sure you know Boston fans such as myself are very passionate. But yeah messages get scattered all over the place here, it’s hard to follow at times. That’s why many of us begin each of our posts with the name of the poster to which we are responding. It’s unfortunate this place doesn’t have the auto-quote feature, but I understand the financial situation.
The odd part was both posts were under their respective subjects when I wrote them last night but this morning they were jumbled back to back. It has happened before so I should know better.
“You are correct, sir!”- Phil Hartman’s Ed McMahon to Dana’s Johnny
You make it sound like he is just posting on social media that he deserves a giant contract. His agent and his team are engaged in negotiations. Both sides appear interested in an extension.
A player saying that they don’t want to negotiate in-season is a very common occurrence and it is odd to take so much from that.
If the Sox wait until he has another great season, then his asking price will be far higher.
THEN make contract demands
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Crochet has not made any demands that we know of.
Didn’t he say last season that he wouldn’t pitch in the playoffs unless he got an extension from the team he was traded to?
Which essentially killed the teams ability to trade him at the ’24 deadline. That’s a contract demand if there ever was one.
If I was the Sox I’d offer him something
like 6/110m with an opt out after year 4 or 5 (figuring it started in ’26). Hope like hell he stays healthy and if he does you get one of the best arms in the game on reasonable terms. Maybe throw in some escalators based on GS & CY finishes to offer additional upside. It’d buy out 3 or 4 years of free agency if he popped and ended up opting out.
With how good he was last year I wouldn’t be shocked if his price is substantially higher then that offer. Dude’s so filthy that if he pitches like he did last year these next two seasons and throws 180+ innings each season he could get a contract that would blow Fried and Burnes deal out the water, possibly even eclipse 300m since at that point he’d have a case of being the best pitcher in the game.
If I was in his position with his history I’d be trying to secure 100m+ over the fewest number of years and play it safe.
Crochet has not made any demands of the Red Sox that we know of. Yes, he made that extension demand last year when he was on the White Sox.
Not likely happening. Good luck with your deadline.
I agree except the part about a good year. His workload wasn’t much. He barely pitched more than three innings in the second half of the season. He’s a Red Sox now that’s why the hype. Baseball writers have always overdone Red Sox players.
His workload wasn’t much.
==========
Crochet made 32 starts and pitched 146 innings last year.
1) You rarely see a pitcher who posts this level of underlying dominance, which does largely trade off with the limited track record.
2) If/when he proves himself further, his price goes up that much more. That’s the decision facing both Boston and Crochet himself: better to gamble on a lower cost (the team) and security (Crochet), or better to risk things by letting them play out for a bigger team price/higher player compensation?
Francis, Lighten up
Exactly right.
Thank you, for saying what I’ve been thinking since the Padres were making a run at him last season.
Pass….
I’d be happy as any other Red Sox fan if we sign him long term and he turns out to be a success. But not enough innings yet and let’s be honest here, in any extension talk he’ll want to be paid pretty close to what an ace will get. Better to let him prove himself and restart discussions after the season and if he has done well, accept that he’s worth more than he is now.
I totally respect that he doesn’t want anything distracting him once the season starts. He isn’t saying he doesn’t want to negotiate but rather staying focused.
Char – Yes you’re correct, it’s a common pressure tactic used by players.
Even though his agent handles the negotiations and all Crochet has to do is give his agent a minimum dollar amount and years and whether he wants opt outs or a NTC.
No extension. Wait to see how he holds up for an entire season with no restrictions.
Can he win 15-20 in Boston? If yes, pay the man next year!
This is 2025, and you’re talking about pitcher wins and losses? Haven’t you learned that a win is not always in the starting pitchers’ control?? Come on. That depends on run support, defense, when the manager chooses to take him out, how well the reliever pitches, etc etc. Look at FIP, strikeouts, and walks to determine performance, not # of wins.
Man every time I read “pay the man” it is in the John Malkovich. voice.
Tiny bit of trivia, he went off the reservation using that voice in Rounders… Guy is gold.
It’s best for both not to extend now. Crochet is a stud, but he has to show he’s “that guy/ace” over a full season after a fantastic innings limit by design debut. If he does, RSox will feel a lot better to pay him even more than what he would want now.
the motivation to pay now would likely be to include this year for the AAV. Say, for instance, he is going to get 5 years at $36MM per year in FA, you could offer him 7/$194 right now and only $27.7MM counts against the CBA caps.
There is also a chance that as a 28 year old FA he may not sign a five year deal so then you’re paying for him deeper into his mid-30s.
This guy had one good year on a team that was crap. Acts like he’s Cy Young, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux. Prove it
A lot of criticism being sent the pitcher’s way, but he’s perceived as valuable enough by the Red Sox for them to have sent out a substantial talent in return for him. He’s got a $3.8M salary this year, Arb next year, and then he’s a FA. Red Sox can wait him out–but if he’s really good this year and says healthy, he’s going to make a very large arb contract in 2026, and then the door. He’s not obligated to bargain with them, not obligated to give them a home-town discount. Of course, there’s a real risk out there–injury and maybe under-performance. But if he’s willing to take the risk, it’s his right. And if he performs. I’m not expecting Red Sox fans to shun him because he hasn’t signed a team-favorable extension. They wll cheer and hope for a WS win, just like any other fans would do.
Talkin’ about the Michael Grove, whoa whoa, Michael Grove!
A subtle game-theoretic move disguised as a focus preference.
Solid numbers in the spring (though in an extremely small sample) is not enough at this point for me if i were a GM to commit to a long-term deal. Let the first half of the season play out and go from there
You have to take a chance after giving up what you did to get him! 6/150! No opt outs!
Agreed. I’m guessing the Red Sox have made what they think is an appropriate offer given Crochet’s track record.
Crochet is 25. I’d be shock if he didn’t ask for an opt-out.
Pronkling. Fun at parties since 1956
The club is willing to see what this kid has to offer. If he is a stud, they’re willing to shell out the cash to keep him. It might bite them in the rear by season’s end, but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.
“Then” adds nothing to the first sentence of the last paragraph and should be deleted. It only muddies up the syntax.