Days after making his first start for Boston, pitcher Garrett Crochet and the Red Sox agreed on a six-year, $170 million contract extension, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.
The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t yet been announced.
Crochet’s new contract goes into effect in 2026, what would have been his final year before free agency. The 25-year-old has an opt out after the 2030 season, the fifth year on the new deal.
Coming off an All-Star campaign with the Chicago White Sox, Crochet was sent to Boston in a blockbuster trade in December. The lefty racked up 209 strikeouts in 146 innings and was the subject of trade deadline rumors as his team struggled to the worst record in MLB history. But Chicago chose to wait to move him until the winter with potential summer suitors worried about Crochet’s load management in a pennant race.
The 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Crochet made his big-league debut months later with no minor-league season due to COVID. In 2021, his first full season, Crochet made 59 relief appearances with 73 strikeouts and a 2.54 ERA. Crochet had to undergo Tommy John surgery early in 2022 and missed the whole year, returning to the mound in 2023 before joining the rotation in 2024.
Crochet was Boston’s opening-day starter, giving up two runs in five innings in the Red Sox’s eventual win over the Texas.
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