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Revisiting the Garrett Crochet Trade Then and Now: Who Won the Blockbuster?

It’s now early June, so it’s coming up on a year and a half from the best recent trade for the Boston Red Sox. On December 11th, 2024, the Red Sox made a deal with the Chicago White Sox to acquire ace Garrett Crochet. Crochet would later become the Red Sox ace and be a major contributor to Boston’s first playoff appearance since 2021.

In return, the Red Sox sent a group of prospects to Chicago who already have been or will be key to the turnaround of the franchise. Two years ago, the South Siders finished with one of the worst records in baseball history. Two seasons later, in 2026, they’ve already achieved 32 wins and a game and a half back of the lead in the American League Central. Let’s discuss the trade and how it’s turned out thus far.

Revisiting the Blockbuster Garrett Crochet Trade

The Trade:

Boston Red Sox Receive: Crochet

Chicago White Sox Receive: Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez

The Players Involved

Garrett Crochet

Then:

Crochet was coming off an oddly successful season for the worst team in modern baseball history. Despite a 6-12 record (his six wins were the second most on the team), he struck out 209 batters in 146 innings. This was coming in his first year, where he stayed fully healthy, following injury-riddled 2022 and 2023 seasons. This would result in Crochet winning AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2024, as well as an All-Star appearance.

Now:

Post-trade, Crochet fit in seamlessly with the Red Sox. He went 18-5 while striking out 255 batters in 2025, putting up a 2.59 ERA as well as a 6.0 WAR. The runner-up in the Cy Young race also had 25 quality starts (six innings or more) in his 32 appearances. He was absolutely dominant in his Red Sox debut season. The Red Sox were also great in his starts, going 23-9 in his games. Even in the Wild Card Series, which the Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees, he had a stellar start, going 7 2/3 innings, striking out 11, and only letting up one run.

Unfortunately, his 2026 campaign hasn’t had the same results. The worst start of his career came this season, against the Minnesota Twins. In this start, he let up 11 runs in just 1 ⅔ innings. He has also not been as present due to a left shoulder inflammation injury. The Red Sox pitching staff is doing very well in his absence, however. So when he comes back from the injury, he should be able to contribute heavily to an already good staff.

Kyle Teel

Then:

Before the trade, Teel was seen as one of the next big players in the Red Sox minor league system, being listed as one of the “Big Three” along with Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, and for good reason. The catcher was dominant in college with Virginia and had begun to work his way up the Red Sox system quickly. He had made it to Triple A a little over a year after being drafted. The former first-round pick had ascended up into the top 40 in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects of ‘24 and was the highlight of this trade.

Now:

After joining the White Sox, he made his MLB debut on June 6th, 2025. He had a pretty solid rookie year, hitting .273 with eight homers and 35 RBI. Unfortunately, like Crochet, he has had an injury-filled sophomore season, originally being ruled out for four to six weeks, then shut down for the foreseeable future with an LCL sprain in his right knee.

Braden Montgomery

Then:

At the time of the trade, Braden Montgomery was the newest player to the pro level, having been selected 12th overall in the 2024 draft by Boston. He was the only player prior to the deal who hadn’t played a game at the minor league level. He was a coveted prospect, however, coming off a season where he hit 27 homers for a Texas A&M that fell just short of winning the College World Series.

Now:

While Montgomery may not have made his debut yet, productive and trending towards a 2026 MLB debut, perhaps a September call-up. The 23rd best prospect in all of baseball is currently at Triple-A, has hit nine home runs across Double-A and Triple-A this season, and he has a current slash line of .298/.401/.537. Defensively, he’s maintained a fielding percentage of 1.000. Should Chicago be in a playoff race late in the season, his bat could be of help.

Chase Meidroth

Then:

Back then, Chase Meidroth was the 19th-best Red Sox prospect in 2024. He had a season in Worcester where he hit .293 and had a ridiculous 105 walks compared to 71 strikeouts. His on-base percentage was at .437. In terms of great seasons, it’s easy to see why Chicago wanted Meidroth included.

Now:

On April 11th, 2025, Meidroth was called up to the majors, making his debut against his former organization. He had a below-average season, hitting .253 with five homers and 23 RBI. However, this season, he’s somewhat improved. He’s now hitting .269 and has matched last year’s home run total in about a third of the time thus far. One thing that hasn’t changed since he came up, though, is his ability to get on base. In his two seasons, he has a career OBP of .332. He does need to lower his strikeouts and improve his glove work, but the White Sox could have a key piece for the future.

Wikelman Gonzalez

Then:

In 2024, Gonzalez was a pitcher at Double-A Portland. He struggled a little, going 4-3 with a 4.73 ERA. The right-hander had been said to have a promising four-pitch mix, but had consistency issues. He hadn’t been ranked in the top 30 Red Sox prospects prior to the trade.

Now:

Gonzalez has had his ups and downs in the White Sox system. After a 2025 that saw him have a 4.93 ERA despite a 6-4 record, he would briefly get called up as well. In 16 appearances, he flashed a 2.66 ERA. But he would also have a WHIP of 1.230 in 20 innings. To start 2026, he would end up back in Triple-A Charlotte. So far, in 11 appearances this season, he’s 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 14 innings.

The Last Word: Who Won The Trade?

Looking back at it, seeing as at least some time has passed, it’s time to ask who won the trade thus far. It’s easy to say the trade feels incomplete, seeing as one of the biggest additions for Chicago in Montgomery has yet to make his major league debut, and the only one making a real impact so far is Meidroth (without Teel’s injury, it’s possible to say him too, at least last season). Meanwhile, Crochet had a stellar first year with the Red Sox, is extended through the 2031 season, and finished as the runner-up in Cy Young voting in ‘25. However, given his current status, it’s unclear how he’ll do this season, or when he comes back, given the recent setback.

But given the young players and prospects the White Sox received, it should be noted that in a turnaround year for them, all of these guys could become factors in their success. For now, it’s as simple as this. The immediate success and the biggest winner of the Garrett Crochet trade is the Red Sox. They needed an ace, and they got one of the best in the league who needed a change of scenery. But for the future, the White Sox also won. But the two teams had two different objectives. The White Sox were looking toward a rebuild and needed prospects to help them with that.

For the Red Sox, it’s fair to say that this was a good trade, and by far the best trade that Craig Breslow has made in his tenure here as general manager. Crochet’s the type of guy that has to be on the mound in a series-clinching game, and hopefully, there will be scenarios for Boston where he is and follows through.

Main Photo Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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