When the White Sox traded ace Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2025 season, I don’t think they envisioned just how quickly the pieces of the deal would fall into place. Crochet started 32 games for the White Sox in 2024 as a first-time starter, posting a 3.58 ERA and striking out 209 hitters in 146 innings. At the time of the deal, the White Sox knew he could be even better in 2025, but liked the package of prospects they were getting in return. That decision has looked even better than anticipated this year.
In his first season with the Red Sox, Crochet finished 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA, 255 strikeouts, and a second-place finish in the AL Cy Young race. Meanwhile, Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez each reached the big leagues and looked to be part of the White Sox exciting young core moving forward. Braden Montgomery joined the fold in 2026, making his mark immediately with a walk-off home run against the Braves back in June. Garrett Crochet was limited to just six starts due to injury, but returned in time to make the Red Sox Wild Card roster, as both Boston and Chicago made the playoffs less than two years after the trade.
Garrett Crochet's meltdown and Chase Meidroth's heroics had a big impact on AL Wild Card series
Crochet made his return to the mound during Game 2 of the Wild Card series at Yankee Stadium, and he entered with the Red Sox trailing in hopes of keeping the game close. Unfortunately, his struggles put it out of reach. Crochet didn’t retire a single hitter, allowing three hits and four runs, putting the Wild Card series on ice for the Yankees. Just a few hours earlier, Chase Meidroth delivered a massive three-run homer to help power the White Sox past the Astros in the other AL Wild Card Series. Kyle Teel’s first-inning RBI single helped put the White Sox on the right track early.
It’s been an injury-plagued season for Teel, but the White Sox still believe in his future as the team’s starting catcher. Chase Meidroth took a huge step forward in 2026 and has become one of the key pieces of the team’s lineup, finishing second in fWAR behind only Miguel Vargas on the roster.
Garrett Crochet is still just 27-years-old and has been recently extended by Boston, so there’s a long way to go before we can declare any definitive winners and losers from the deal, but three of the four prospects the White Sox acquired are major contributors on a Postseason team less than two years later, so it seems to be off to a great start.
Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Braden Montgomery, 3 of the 4 players acquired from Boston in the Garrett Crochet trade, hit .360 BA (9-25) with 1 HR, 5 RBI and 4 runs in the White Sox sweep over the Houston Astros.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 1, 2026
Take a bow, GM Chris Getz.
As the White Sox continue their playoff run against Cleveland this week, the Red Sox will be forced to watch from home. A Boston team who’s been desperately in need of offensive firepower will watch three of their former prospects anchor one of the best lineups in the American League. It may have general manager Craig Breslow wondering about a world where he didn’t say yes to the deal.
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