Big Splash: Boston Reportedly in Talks to Land $130 Million All-Star Pitcher in Massive Trade

It seems the Boston Red Sox are finally going all-in for the 2025 Major League Baseball season. Will a blockbuster trade be part of the equation?

It’s widely known that the Red Sox are after two things: Juan Soto and starting pitching. Soto still may be a long shot, but there’s no reason they couldn’t land a top-tier starter. The only question is who they will pursue.

The Red Sox have shown a willingness to go above and beyond for younger players, as exemplified by extending Rafael Devers before his age-27 season and pursuing 25-year-old Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter.

Now, if recent reports are to be believed, the Red Sox seem willing to go above and beyond for anyone in a quest to get back to the playoffs for the first time in four years. But there is still a young starting pitcher on the trade market who might solve all their issues in one.

Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox is the top trade target available, and the Red Sox seemingly have the prospect capital to make that deal happen. Ben Wrixon of The Score recently predicted that the Red Sox would indeed land the All-Star lefty in the biggest blockbuster of the offseason.

“The Red Sox need an ace, but owner John Henry has typically shied away from handing out massive deals to pitchers age 30 or older,” Wrixon said. “The rebuilding White Sox, meanwhile, need all the prospects they can get.”

“Boston dips into its deeply talented farm system and swings a deal for Garrett Crochet before signing the 25-year-old to a long-term extension.”

Crochet, 25, had a fantastic 2024 season after injuries had plagued his early White Sox tenure. He racked up an incredible 209 strikeouts in just 146 innings, pitching to a 3.58 ERA and 2.69 FIP.

Spotrac currently projects an extension for Crochet to be six years, $130 million, which falls in line with roughly what the top free-agent pitchers can expect to get this winter. The difference, though, is that Crochet is five years younger than the aforementioned free agents.

The Red Sox will be competing against plenty of other teams, but they have all the tools at their disposal to land Crochet and serve notice to the rest of the league. Their time is now, and they’ve got to do everything they can to maximize their title window.