The Boston Red Sox bet big on Garrett Crochet last year — twice, actually. When Boston pulled the trigger to land the flame-throwing lefty, they were buying potential versus upside. At that point, Crochet had a checkered injury history, had only one year of starting under his belt, and averaged just 4.56 innings per start in 2024.
The second bet came when they doubled down and handed Crochet a massive six-year, $170 million extension on April 1. Crochet quickly proved these were well-thought-out bets, racking up an MLB-best 255 strikeouts while being one of only three pitchers to top the 200-inning plateau, and finishing second in the American League Cy Young voting.