Sources: Red Sox finalizing trade for Garrett Crochet

DALLAS -- The Boston Red Sox are finalizing a trade to acquire left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox, sources told ESPN, using their deep well of prospects to land the best starting pitching available on the trade market.

Catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez will head to Chicago for Crochet, sources said.

Crochet thrived in his first season in the White Sox's rotation last year after transitioning from a relief role. While the teams had discussed multiple iterations of a deal, talks accelerated after Boston fell short in attempts to sign outfielder Juan Soto, left-hander Max Fried and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

The 25-year-old Crochet was dominant over 146 innings this year, striking out 209 while walking just 33. With a fastball that sits at 97 mph, a high-end slider and a cutter he added to great effect, Crochet looked like a frontline starter -- exactly the sort the Red Sox need as they look to rebound from a five-year stretch in which they finished in last place in the American League East three times.

He would join a rotation that includes right-handers Tanner Houck, Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford -- and is likely to get the Opening Day nod for Boston.

The allure of Crochet goes beyond his elite stuff and performance. Because he spent the first four years of his career as a relief pitcher, Crochet's salary in arbitration is far less than those of an elite starting pitcher. He is projected to make around $3 million this year and will not be a free agent until after the 2026 season.

Boston entered the winter hopeful to add impact starting pitching to a team whose position-playing core is on the upswing. The Red Sox blanched at including any of their top three prospects -- outfielder Roman Anthony, superutilityman Kristian Campbell and shortstop Marcelo Mayer -- in a deal for Crochet. The White Sox instead would add to an increasingly strong farm system by getting the Red Sox's last two first-round picks and two other well-regarded prospects.

Teel, 22, would be the deal's headliner. Chosen 14th in the 2023 draft, he hit .288/.386/.433 between AA and AAA last year and is considered big league-ready. Between Teel and Edgar Quero, the 21-year-old acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in the 2023 trade for Lucas Giolito and Ky Bush, the White Sox have arguably the best prospect catching depth in baseball, along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals.

Montgomery, 21, dropped to the 12th pick in this year's draft after breaking his right ankle in June during a Super Regional game with Texas A&M. Projected to go as high as No. 3 in the draft, Montgomery is a 6-foor-2, 220-pound, switch-hitting outfielder with power from both sides of the plate and top-end arm strength.

Meidroth, 23, went to the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and has gotten on base at a .425 clip in his three pro seasons. While he projects to be a second baseman with limited power, Meidroth's plate discipline -- he has 199 walks against 180 strikeouts and has been hit by 28 pitches -- will be his calling card. He plated second base, shortstop and third base at AA this year.

Gonzalez, 22, was signed for $250,000 out of Venezuela in 2018 and developed into one of Boston's best pitching prospects. His mid-90s fastball is the best of a four-pitch mix, and while he has struggled with control, striking out 92 and walking 46 in 83.2 innings at AA this season, he joints a strong group of pitching prospects in Chicago, with left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith and right-handers Jairo Iriarte, Grant Taylor and Mason Adams.

The Red Sox's additions are unlikely to stop with Crochet. They have expressed interest in free agent Alex Bregman -- who could play second base or the position he has played his whole career, third base, were the Red Sox to move Rafael Devers to first base -- as well as the best starting pitcher on the market this winter, right-hander Corbin Burnes.