Garrett Crochet was mentioned in trade speculation countless times throughout 2024.
But when the Chicago White Sox dealt the left-hander to the Boston Red Sox on Dec. 11, he said the experience “happened so fast.”
“There’s all this buildup, even going back to before the (July 30 trade) deadline, and then in the offseason, winter meetings was what I was kind of targeting in my mind, hopefully it will be done by then,” Crochet said Friday. “Once it went through, it was like dunking your head in a bowl of ice water. It just happened so quickly.”
After four seasons with the White Sox, Crochet will face his former team for the first time in Sunday’s series finale at Rate Field. The White Sox won 11-1 in the opener Friday.
“Coming back here, now that I’m here, it’s cool,” Crochet said. “But it’s still just trying to win a series. Got a start here so that’s what I’m focused on.”
Crochet is 1-1 with a 1.45 ERA and 17 strikeouts in three starts with Boston. He signed a six-year, $170 million extension this month.
“Incredibly exciting,” he said of the contract. “It’s good to be a Boston Red Sox. When my contract is all said and done, I’ll have spent a longer time in Boston than I did in Chicago, which is crazy to think about but it’s cool. I feel like I’m just getting started.”
A first-round draft pick (No. 11) by the White Sox in 2020, Crochet’s big-league career began later that season out of the bullpen. He made the move to the rotation in 2024 and excelled, earning an All-Star selection.
“It was great,” Crochet said of his time with the White Sox. “I loved it. The organization that drafts you, people say, typically treats you the best. So, it was all I knew, but being over here in Boston, the love has been the exact same. It was a good organization as far as I was concerned.”
The White Sox recognized Crochet’s time with a video tribute during Friday’s game.
“I always had a lot of belief in my ability and had the right guidance along the way,” Crochet said. “Had a team also in the White Sox who was willing to protect me down the stretch last year. It was really just a group effort all around.
“They were willing to let me start, (general manager) Chris (Getz), the conversation I had two Octobers ago with him (about the move). And he had a lot of confidence in me and it allowed me to get prepared for the season and take the toll of a full season as a starter.”
Getz said that he was “happy for” Crochet.
“And I’m happy for the White Sox, too, when we look at what he was able to accomplish,” Getz said. “That obviously was a team effort last year. We made the hard decision to make a trade and we brought back some players that we’re really excited about. And (infielder) Chase Meidroth is one of them and joined our major-league club (Friday).
“So I don’t necessarily look forward to facing him on Sunday. But, I’m happy for Garrett. Very deserving.”
While the White Sox are in rebuild mode in the American League Central, the Red Sox are aiming to be in the mix in the AL East.
“Just comparing to where I was a year ago, last year, with the White Sox, we weren’t expecting to make the playoffs,” Crochet said. “Everyone in the locker room was hoping to make the roster. This year we have bigger aspirations. The sense of urgency was greater in camp. The sense of veteran presence to your left and right wherever you were in the clubhouse was pretty huge. And just guys that have been there before.
“We went out and got (third baseman Alex) Bregman, Raffy (Rafael Devers) has won a World Series. (Pitcher Walker) Buehler has won a World Series. It felt like it was the big leagues.”
A lot has changed for Crochet in a little more than a year.
“It’s funny, because always who I felt I was inside is now who I am on the outside as well,” Crochet said. “Really excited, as we get further into the season, to keep stacking starts.”
