The Boston Red Sox’s big offseason trade for left-hander Garrett Crochet just got a lot bigger.
Crochet on Tuesday signed a six-year, $170 million contract extension, which is the largest contract ever awarded to a pitcher with at least four years but less than five of major league service time.
The Mets signed Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $137 million contract in 2018, the previous record for a pitcher in that category.
New ace Crochet immediately moved to the No. 1 spot in the Boston rotation after chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acquired him from the Chicago White Sox on Dec. 11 for a package that included top prospects catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery and shortstop Chase Meidroth.
Crochet, 25, would have been eligible become a free agent after the 2026 season, but most in the industry believed it was only a matter of time before the Red Sox locked up Crochet for the long term. The deal was negotiated by Andrew Nacario and Tom Hagan of Creative Artists Agency.
“I was thinking there was a decent probability we were going to need to pick up these conversations next offseason,” Breslow told reporters.
“Fortunately we both recognized that there could be common ground here and it wouldn’t take a ton given all the legwork that had been created. In the end we were able to get this over the line and it came together pretty quickly.”
The deal was the latest in a series of offseason moves the Red Sox made to strengthen their position in the already strong American League East. Breslow beefed up in the free agent market with third baseman Alex Bergman and pitchers Walker Buehler, Aroldis Chapman and Patrick Sandoval. The Red Sox have not made the playoffs since 2021.
“My hope is that this is another step in charting the course toward sustainable organizational health, towards vying for division titles, World Series championships, year over year,” Breslow said.
“I think it further cements where we are in terms of our competitive window and that we’re ready to make good and honor the commitment we’ve made to our fans over the last six months.”
Crochet’s deal was announced the day before he is to make his second start of the season Wednesday at Baltimore. He struck out four in five innings of a no-decision in the Red Sox’s 5-2 victory over Texas on opening day March 27.
Crochet, 25, received a $4 million signing bonus on top of his 2025 salary of $3.8 million, a figure agreed upon when the side avoided his second year of arbitration.
His big money kicks in in 2026, when he salary bumps up to $24 million. He is to earn $28 million in each year from 2027-2030 before topping out at $30 million in 2031.
The Red Sox hold a $15 million option for 2032, a move that gives them some injury protection. They may exercise the option if Crochet is on the injured list with a left arm injury for at least 120 consecutive days during any season from the 2026 to 2031.
Crochet also has some protection on the back end. If he is not on the IL for 120 straight days during 2026-2030, he may opt before final final year of the deal, when he could exchange one year of $30 million in salary for the possibility of another large contract. He will turn 31 during the 2030 season.
Breaking: Max Fried and the New York Yankees are in agreement on an eight-year, $218 million contract, pending physical, sources tell @JeffPassan.
It is the largest guarantee in baseball history for a left-handed pitcher. pic.twitter.com/fr3OdA9a6u
— ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024
Blake Snell was 31 when he opted out of a two-year, $60 million deal with the San Diego Padres this winter. He then signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Max Fried, also a CAA client, was 30 when he signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees as a free agent this offseason.
Crochet missed the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was kept on an innings limit in 2023 when he made only 13 relief appearances. He was the White Sox’s opening day in 2024 and excelled, posting a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts in 146 innings, 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
Garrett Crochet is 26 years old with a 3.29 career ERA, who just posted the 3rd-highest strikeout rate (35.1%) by a LHP in a single season in MLB history (min. 30 starts) and who had the best K-BB% (29.6%) of any starting pitcher last season (min. 140 IP). https://t.co/FB3nue1asL
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) April 1, 2025
“There’s always risk associated with these types of contracts,” Breslow said. “I think we recognize that. At the same time, we’re talking about an elite starting pitcher who’s 25 years old, and someone we believe will continue to develop and whose best days are ahead of him.”
Crochet’s incentives include $2 million for winning the Cy Young Award, $1.5 million for a second or third place finish, $1 million for a fourth or fifth place sinned and $500,000 for a sixth through 10th place finish. He will receive a $2 million bonus if traded.
