Red Sox Exec Explains How ‘Extreme Urgency’ Led To Garrett Crochet Deal
The Red Sox had a mission for the offseason, and they did just that with the finishing touches coming a few days into the regular season.
Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had a busy winter, with arguably his biggest move being the trade for No. 1 starter Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox followed up that blockbuster a few months later by giving Crochet a six-year contract extension Tuesday.
For Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy, it was the sort of move that emphasized and paid off the pledge the organization made after another lost season in 2024.
“If you go back to the end of last season, we were pretty clear about ferociously pursuing winning and doing everything in our power to be aggressive, to lock up our homegrown guys, bring in free agents, and this extension is representative of that,” Kennedy told “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI earlier Friday morning.
“We feel extreme urgency to win now and to win in the future and really excited we were able to get a deal across the line with Garrett. He wants to be here, we wanted him here, so we’re really grateful for that and excited we have a lockdown No. 1 ace at the top of the rotation.”
Getting the deal done must be especially gratifying for the Red Sox based on the uncertainty that came with offseason negotiations. Breslow admitted on NESN’s “310 To Left” podcast earlier this week there were times he wasn’t sure a deal would get done. Crochet said he wanted to table talks once the regular season began, but the progress made before that self-imposed deadline allowed the two sides to get it across the finish line.
“Getting extensions done is probably one of the more complicated things because of the lack of time pressure you have,” Kennedy added.
The early-season wheeling and dealing didn’t end with Crochet, as Boston also extended Kristian Campbell one day later.
“Excited about Kristian, (too), and getting those deals done is important for us now and in the future,” Kennedy said.