Garrett Crochet Trade Has Red Sox Fans Relieved After Missing out on Juan Soto, More

After failing to land superstar outfielder Juan Soto in free agency, Boston Red Sox fans celebrated the reported acquisition of ace starting pitcher Garrett Crochet on Wednesday.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox agreed to send four prospects in catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Crochet.

After Boston made its first huge move of the offseason, Red Sox fans and analysts took to social media to praise the organization's aggressiveness in getting a deal done:

While the Red Sox were among the teams that met with Soto, along with the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, he ultimately signed a record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.

The Red Sox are likely still in the market for a big bat to supplement Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran, but Crochet fills a major need as well, giving them a true No. 1 starter.

Crochet, 25, moved into the starting rotation for the first time in his MLB career last season, and he delivered in a big way.

Although Crochet only went 6-12 pitching for one of the worst teams in MLB history, he posted a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209 strikeouts over 146 innings.

The 2023 All-Star was on a strict pitch count over the final couple of months of the season since the White Sox likely didn't want to risk an injury ahead of an anticipated offseason trade.

The only major concern regarding the hard-throwing lefty is his durability since he missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Prior to last season, Crochet had never pitched more than 54.1 innings in a season at the professional level, but he workload jumped up to 146 innings last season.

That could mean that he is ready for another step up to around 180 to 200 innings next season, but there is no guarantee he will be able to handle it.

Still, it is worth the risk for a Red Sox team that has not reached the playoff since 2021 since he is young and possesses elite stuff.