BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox finally made a move this winter — a big one — by acquiring lefty starter Garrett Crochet in a trade with the White Sox on Wednesday. Craig Breslow had to pay a high price, but in the process he secured a promising starter and potential ace for the future.

Boston’s rotation has been lacking an ace at the top of its rotation for the past few years, so acquiring the 25-year-old Crochet fills an immediate and important need. But it doesn’t come without questions and concerns.

But let’s start with the positive aspects of Wednesday’s transaction.

What did the Red Sox get in Garrett Crochet?

Crochet is a potential stud. He has what it takes to be a left-handed hitter who can lead the rotation in Boston and take a lot of pressure off Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito. He is currently the only southpaw in the rotation, which makes him even more valuable to Boston.

The move is reminiscent of another Sox trade in 2016, when Boston traded for Chicago left-hander Chris Sale to solidify the team’s rotation. Like Sale, Crochet is 1.90 meters tall, although Sale was much more established when he was acquired by Boston.

Crochet only has one season as a starter under his belt, but he was the only bright spot (and the only All-Star) on a terrible White Sox team in 2024. In his 32 starts last season, he pitched 146 innings and scored an ERA of 3.58 while striking out 209 batters.

Crochet was a dominant backup player before his breakout season and certainly has what it takes to become an ace. His average of 12.9 strikeouts per nine last season is a good indication of how dominant he can be on the mound.

The Red Sox had to make a big move this winter, and that move had to fill their vacant spot at the top of the rotation. With crochet they achieved both goals. (With that in mind, adding to that pitching staff shouldn’t be done yet this winter.)

But as with any trading, there are some concerns with this move.

What are some concerns about Garrett Crochet?

Most people believe that Crochet has superior skills, but he has to prove it over time. Boston expects him to give them about 200 innings each season, but he has only pitched 216 innings in his career.

We still don’t know if he can last a full season, as the White Sox placed him on a load management plan in the final months of the 2024 season. After June 30, Crochet never pitched more than four innings in a game.

He also missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He threw just 12.2 innings in 2023 while working on his back.

Crochet will be under team control of the Red Sox for two seasons but is eligible for free agency after the 2026 season. Boston needs to extend him to make this trade truly worthwhile, and will likely need to pay him a top salary to retain him long-term.

At some point the Red Sox will have to step up and pay Crochet. Will they? They have to do it somehow after sending a whole lot of loot to Chicago.

Did the Red Sox give up too much for Garrett Crochet?

The Red Sox gave up a lot to get Crochet, sending catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez to Chicago.

Teel and Montgomery were the fourth- and fifth-ranked prospects in Boston’s system, respectively, and the Red Sox also sent away their 11th-ranked prospect in Meidroth. They didn’t have to leave with any of the other Big Four in Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer or Kristian Campbell, but Breslow still gave up a lot in the move.

Back to the sale trade: This acquisition cost Boston Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, which cost about the same as Teel and Montgomery in this trade. The fact that the Red Sox also had to send Meidroth and Gonzalez makes the price for Boston very high.

But teams have to give up something to get something, and with Crochet the Red Sox may have gotten the ace pitcher they so desperately needed. Now it’s up to management to sign him to a contract extension and continue building the promising young arm they have now added to the major league club.