Red Sox' Garrett Crochet shares thoughts on extension with team; could see himself with Boston 'long-term'
Garrett Crochet made his spring training debut for the Red Sox this week, throwing off the mound in camp. With Crochet down in Fort Myers, the speculation has begun as to when the lefty and the Red Sox will move towards a contract extension.
The front office is reportedly motivated to get an extension done with the 25-year-old hurler, but it’s not known where the two sides are at now that camp has begun.
“As soon as I was traded to the Red Sox, I knew that this was a place that I could see myself long-term,“ Crochet said to reporters on Wednesday. “When you talk about a storied franchise like this one, it’s one that any player would be lucky to call home for whatever duration of time that may be. It’s not exactly fully in my hands. But I’ve been seeing the big picture since as soon as the trade went through.
“Even going back to (Fenway Fest), it seemed like there was a good group cohesiveness going on already. I didn’t want to come in and be boisterous in any way. I just felt like I was able to fit in, slide right in. Guys were very welcoming from the jump. I had a good group of guys reach out right after the trade went through. I think we got off on the right foot and just proceeded accordingly.”
Typically extensions are completed during camp so players don’t have to focus on contract talks during the season. Crochet is motivated in terms of staying long-term with Boston but is focused on his workouts, including throwing live batting practice on Thursday.
“My understanding of it is that Mission 1 was getting to camp, and then talks would happen or not happen after that,“ Crochet said. ”As far as that side of things, I like to leave it to my agent. I just like to come out here and focus on playing ball."
Crochet transitioned to a starter last season, striking out 209 batters over 146 frames and posting a 3.58 ERA. The White Sox limited the southpaw’s workload in the second half of the season. He didn’t throw more than four innings across his final 14 starts to close out the 2024 campaign.
If the two sides aren’t able to get a deal done before the start of the season, it doesn’t necessarily mean Crochet doesn’t want to be a member of the Red Sox for an extended period of time. He could also be betting on himself, having a strong 2025 season and increasing his value in the process.
“There's always pros and cons to everything,” Crochet said. “I think that the long-term security is definitely something attractive. As players, we like to look out for our family first. But with last year being my first taste of starting, part of me also wants to see what I could do with the full season of innings workload.
“Obviously, I made every start last year. Felt like I was prepared to go the distance in the second half but was kind of on a short leash. Part of me wants to see what I could do in a full season before, I suppose, locking myself into a certain bracket of player.”
The Red Sox and Crochet will work towards an extension, and for Boston’s sake, getting a deal done now will be more beneficial than waiting and potentially losing the pitcher down the road.
