The Red Sox and star left-hander were unable to finalize a long-term contract before his self-imposed Opening Day deadline. However, just four days later, they reached an agreement.
Boston has signed him to a six-year, $170 million contract extension covering the 2026-2031 seasons, with an opt-out after 2030, according to a source confirmed by MassLive on Monday night. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
This contract, the largest ever for a pitcher with his’s service time (between 4-5 years), marks a significant move for the Red Sox. The team had previously acquired him in a blockbuster December trade with the White Sox, giving up four prospects—Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez. This extension secures his’s presence in Boston for at least five seasons beyond 2025. The agreement, which carries an average annual value of $28.33 million starting next year, has yet to be officially announced by the team.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the contract includes escalators of up to $2 million per season from 2027-2031, based on Crochet’s performance in the Cy Young race.
The 2024 American League All-Star, posted a 3.58 ERA over 146 innings in his first season as a starter for Chicago. When Boston acquired him, he had just two years of team control remaining. Negotiations for a long-term deal had been ongoing since January and, at times, seemed unlikely to materialize. Throughout spring training, Crochet made it clear he would not negotiate beyond Opening Day. A week before the season began, he expressed skepticism about a deal being reached, even stating on the “Play Tessie” podcast that he didn’t believe there was much chance of it happening. On Opening Day in Texas, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow appeared to share that sentiment.
“Right now, Garrett is getting ready to throw the first pitch of the 2025 season. He has been outspoken about wanting to table negotiations to focus on the season,” Breslow said at Globe Life Field. “We absolutely want to respect that and are excited about what he’s going to do for us.”
Despite this, discussions persisted, ultimately leading to an agreement just five games into the season. Crochet made his Red Sox debut on Opening Day, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four. His next start is set for Wednesday in Baltimore.
The 26-year-old left-hander will still earn $3.8 million in 2025 as previously agreed, meaning Boston’s competitive balance tax (CBT) figure for this season remains unaffected. The contract covers one arbitration year (2026) and either four or five free-agent years, depending on whether Crochet exercises his opt-out after 2030, when he will be 31.
With this extension, Boston has secured the core of its starting rotation for the foreseeable future, with Crochet (through 2030), Brayan Bello (through 2029 with a 2030 option), Kutter Crawford (through 2028), and Tanner Houck (through 2027) all under team control for at least three more seasons. The Red Sox, who previously signed Bello and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela to long-term deals, are still working on securing additional contracts with younger players—meaning more extension news could be on the horizon.
