How Far Can Garrett Crochet Take the Red Sox in 2025?

Death, taxes, and Garrett Crochet pocketing a Boston Red Sox win — in a world of uncertainty, these are three sure bets.

The Sox acquired the star just before ringing in the 2025 new year. They were in need of an anchor in the starting rotation, and Crochet had the makings of being just that for Boston.

It was also around that time they acquired World Series champion pitcher Walker Buehler. However, despite pouring excitement at his acquisition, Buehler was not a Fenway fit; the Sox designated the right-hander for assignment on August 29. 

Buehler was just coming off a World Series performance to remember, where he closed out the ballgame and clinched the title for the LA Dodgers, and Crochet — while mighty talented — still had his fair share of question marks.

Buehler was expected to be that guy, but unfortunately things didn’t play out that way in Boston. But Crochet? He is everything the Red Sox dreamed of and more.

All stats were taken prior to play on September 23.

He Rode in on a White Horse

In exchange for Crochet, Boston traded outfielder Branden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth, pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez, and catcher Kyle Teel, who was one of Boston’s most prized prospects, to the Chicago White Sox in a blockbuster deal.

This trade resembled the Chris Sale trade from December of 2016, when the Red Sox shipped away catcher Yoan Moncada, RHPs Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz, and outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe in his exchange. Two seasons later, Sale helped lead the Red Sox to a World Series championship, where he closed out game five against the Dodgers to secure the team’s fourth title of the 21st century.

It’s hard not to smirk at these parallels. Still, history only rhymes unless given the tools to repeat itself. Crochet is holding up his end of the bargain.

Going 17-5 this season, he poses a 2.69 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 2.95 FIP, all for a 5.6 bWAR. The southpaw holds an opponent wOBA of just .198 against lefties, and he’s even performed well against righties too.

To further his Cy Young case, the 26-year-old leads the major leagues in strikeouts (249) and innings pitched (197.1), overall yielding a 31.6% strikeout rate that is second in MLB.

In July, Crochet outdid himself with a 1.73 ERA, and followed in August with a 3.19 ERA. Then, over four September starts, he earned a 4.68 ERA. Still, his heightened ERA is not (yet) a cause for worry. 

Even post All-Star break, the two-time All Star is tied for the league lead in strikeouts (89), despite his ERA reaching 3.57 in the second half, marking a 1.34 increase from prior to the break (2.23). A slip up in his numbers means nothing more than a few bad outings buried in between greatness. It’s hard to hold someone accountable who sweeps the sport off its feet.

Caution: The Horse Can Only Hold So Much

Crochet may still be on his white horse. But a horse can’t carry the whole team.

Despite his “struggles” — a word that feels insulting to use in this context, as the pitcher set the bar high enough for himself where any from “normal” is still bordering perfection — Crochet’s wheels remain turning. As for the other players’ faults, Crochet’s talents may be unable to compensate. 

The first sign for worry is injuries. Pitchers Dustin May, Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Tanner Houck, among several other arms fill the injured list, lessening the rotation options for a 4.71 September team ERA, ranking 20th in MLB. 

On the offensive end, star rookie Roman Anthony will miss the remainder of the regular season, while his other half, Marcelo Mayer, is out for the year. Anthony’s season slash reads .292/.396/.463 for a .859 OPS and a 139 wRC+, meaning he’s been 39 percent above league average. It’s safe to say that the team misses his offensive presence.

Right field Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu just returned from the IL and is readjusting to the game’s pace; whether he reclaims his offensive lore is yet to be seen.

More frustratingly, the team’s pre All-Star break weapons are struggling.

Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela spent August batting .208/.266/.317 for a .583 OPS, and then followed that performance up in September with a .197/.258/.279 slash line for a .536 OPS. Similarly, rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez is batting just .178 with a 58 wRC+ since the All-Star break after posting a .786 OPS and 116 wRC+ in the first half.

Moreover, for the offense as a whole, the team is tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates — who are eliminated from playoff contention — for the seventh-most strikeouts in MLB.

Point being, with the team’s talent struggling and the injured list becoming concerningly long, Crochet is the team’s safety net. The ace being on the mound essentially guarantees a win, and his value to this team cannot be overstated.

Unfortunately, Crochet is not a net — he is a human-being. This struggling offense and inconsistent pitching puts the team’s fate on his shoulders with heightened pressure to stay healthy and have a revolutionary outing every fifth day.

Despite his 4.68 ERA in September, Crochet still earned four credited wins. There is no doubt that his World Series talent exists, as he has repeatedly displayed his potential. Most importantly, he has proven that the blockbuster was worth it, and he hasn’t even spent a full season in Boston yet.

The stud cannot, though, bring the team to the postseason alone. To fulfill the 2018 team’s success, his complementary arms and offensive talent must snap back into place to reach October and make a run.

If not, the white horse’s back will snap, and the Chris Sale trade will merely resemble a historical rhyme.