Christmas came early for the Boston Red Sox. After seeing their biggest rival in the New York Yankees sign Max Fried, the Red Sox needed to pivot. They did in fact pivot and landed a pitcher that is the type of pitcher they have been seeking.

In a shocking turn of events, the Red Sox landed ace pitcher from the Chicago White Sox in Garrett Crochet. The White Sox landed an impressive prospect haul that included Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez.

This trade works for both parties, as the rebuilding white Sox get building block players they can build with. The Red Sox get their ace and get the front line starter they’ve been searching for.

They Got A Pig

It has been since the Chris Sale trade that the Red Sox made such a big move. For Red Sox fans, this is the best news that they’ve received in the last three years.

It seems like a movement, but also an identity. Red Sox broadcaster and former player Lou Merloni has tabbed Crochet as “a filthy pig”. Sounds disgusting, but it’s actually in a good way. Crochet is a nasty pitcher on the mound and he has the stuff to back it up.

When the Red Sox were identifying pitchers of need, they wanted pitchers that can generate the swing and miss and also be able to punch batters out. It was identified with free agent signing Aroldis Chapman and now with Crochet.

Crochet was originally a bullpen arm and also went through Tommy John surgery (2022), but got his first season as a starter and did not disappoint. Crochet pitched 146 innings and finished with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Those are good numbers, but the stuff under the hood is even more impressive.

Crochet was a dominant factor on the mound. He is excellent at generating the swing and miss with a 33.1% whiff rate. Also, every single one of his pitches had a whiff rate of 30% or higher. He has a mean arsenal and a good set of pitches he mixes in. Also, he got players to chase 33.5% of the time and finished with the highest strikeout percentage of any qualified pitcher (100 innings).

He is a filthy pig and a pitcher that the Red Sox can count on. He not only is the best early Christmas present, but a huge upside for the rotation.

Crochet Joining a Promising Group

Andrew Bailey’s laboratory was cooking in 2024. He came in and got the most out of this rotation and even saw players take their games to the next level. This unit saw promise and it’s great to see when you are dealing with younger players.

Tanner Houck went from “is he better suited as a bullpen arm or starter” to being the ace of the rotation and earning a trip to the All-Star game. Houck finished the season with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. It was his heaviest workload of his career and he made a living with his sweeper.

Brayan Bello also took notable steps in his career, but is still developing. You also saw the same for Kutter Crawford, who was a stable back end of the rotation piece. The Red Sox have good pieces in place and adding Crochet makes them much better and deeper.

The fun isn’t over and the winter is only just beginning.

Red Sox Did Well

Prospects are always a gamble and you never know how it works until they reach the MLB level. After years of drafting well and building the farm system to what it is today, the Red Sox were able to facilitate such a move. They also managed to hang on to three of their top prospects and ended up moving players that would have maybe not seen the big league level in Boston.

Also, they did manage to hang onto Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas, whom both were rumored to be part of such a deal. The Red Sox get a much needed ace and a pitcher that will thrive in this organization.

Time to get to work you filthy pig.