Chase Meidroth has become unexpected steal of White Sox-Red Sox Garrett Crochet trade

White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth enters Wednesday slashing .269/.344/.392, with 78 runs, 12 home runs, and 51 RBIs. He's solidified himself as Chicago's everyday second baseman after some discourse about his future in the offseason. His season is even more impressive when you look at both his reliability this year, the improvements he's made since last year, and how he's beat expectations.

In December 2024, the White Sox traded ace pitcher Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in exchange for four top prospects. The White Sox had lost 121 games and weren't benefiting from one good pitcher, while the Red Sox were close to a championship-level team, and wanted an ace to bridge that gap; and it's become the rare win-win trade so far.

It felt like a solid return for the White Sox at the time, but they'd, of course, have to develop the prospects. At the time, Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery were the center pieces. Teel was both a solid defensive catcher and a good hitter, Montgomery was a recent draft-pick who could switch-hit, play the outfield, and had power. Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez were closer to throw-ins, but at least Gonzalez was a major-league ready pitcher.

Meidroth was a former fourth-round pick, whose only really solid tool was plate discipline. He was a utility infielder with limited range, and both his hit and power tools were run-of-the-mill. He was intriguing as a future bench-bat, but wasn't likely to find everyday time.

In 2025, all the prospects in the deal except Montgomery reached the majors. Teel had a .786 OPS in 78 games, and the White Sox were satisfied with him as their long-term, primary catcher. Gonzalez' 2.66 ERA wasn't half-bad, though he needed a move to the bullpen. Montgomery mostly tore up the minors, making it all the way to Double-A and posting an .804 OPS across three levels.

Meidroth had an okay season, but he only managed five home runs. He couldn't slug the ball, which brought his OPS down to just .649. The on-base skills that were supposed to compensate for this were solid but inconsistent. He was, as expected, suitable for the bench--but probably not to stick at second base.

As for the Red Sox, Crochet had a 2.59 ERA, led the American League in strikeouts, and would have won the Cy Young Award if it wasn't for Tarik Skubal.

Chase Meidroth has transformed into a lineup mainstay in one offseason

But baseball's a funny game, and the equation's a lot different now compared to last year. Gonzalez spent a long time on the IL, and was then sent back to Triple-A. His ERA is sitting a 6.57 and no one's rushing to call him back up. The White Sox later DFA'd him, and he's with the Marlins organization now. Teel's only played 23 games due to two long-term injuries, and his OPS is sitting at .655. He might finish on a high-note, but it's really been a lost year for him. Montgomery did reach the majors, and he's become the team's everyday right-fielder. But he's hitting .221 with a .666 OPS, and his fielding has been uneven.

The Red Sox are doing even worse. Crochet pitched six games to a 6.30 ERA and looked like a shell of himself. He's been on the injured list since April, and if he returns this season, it will be in the playoffs and likely as a reliever.

Meanwhile, Meidroth has spent all year as the starting second baseman. He is not a power hitter, but his pop is acceptable, especially with 27 doubles. He has genuinely good contact/on-base numbers, which was always his selling point, and Baseball Reference gives him 107 OPS+; slightly above league-average. Combine this with good second base defense and the ability to move around the infield, and you have a league-average or better player. And that's all you really need; it's great to have stars, but you need the more standard, good players too.

I don't want to discount the other trade pieces. Teel and Montgomery have their whole careers ahead of them, and even though 2026 was disappointing, they'll likely be good going forward. The Red Sox should be in good shape once Crochet is healthy.

But in the meantime, Meidroth's improvements have made him the most reliable, valuable component piece of the 2024 trade. He's a good everyday player who will likely be part of the White Sox line-up for the next several years.

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