3 Red Sox who won’t be back in 2025 after the Garrett Crochet trade

It took so long that all of New England nearly had a panic attack, but Craig Breslow finally got the Boston Red Sox the big offseason splash they so desperately needed. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Boston has acquired sought-after Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet in exchange for four prospects, headlined by catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery.

It's a hefty price to pay, but for two years of a pitcher like Crochet — who has some of the best pure stuff of anyone in the Majors and posted a 3.58 ERA and 12.9 K/9 over 146 innings last season — it's one well worth paying, especially considering that Breslow was able to hang on to young MLB talent like Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas as well as top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony.

Now, though, the question becomes: What next? Landing Crochet helps the Red Sox keep pace with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, but there are still plenty of holes to fill, and more moves to be made. Now that Breslow has gotten the ball rolling, here are three players who are sure to be playing elsewhere in 2025.

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3. Masataka Yoshida

The writing has been on the wall here for a while, but it's now even tougher to see a scenario in which the Red Sox are forced to run things back with Yoshida as a DH or corner outfielder option in 2025. Crochet comes very cheap for 2025 and 2026, freeing Breslow up to splash some cash at a player like Teoscar Hernandez. Boston is already flush with lefty bats, and Yoshida hasn't hit enough (and hasn't added enough value elsewhere) to carve up a spot for himself in the lineup moving forward.

The trade also puts even more pressure on maximizing the team's window of contention starting next season, and they can't afford to not upgrade Yoshida's roster spot in the coming days or weeks.

2. Wilyer Abreu

Speaking of which. Keeping Abreu out of the Crochet deal has to qualify as a major win for Breslow, but the smart money still says that he won't be a member of the Red Sox come Opening Day. Holding on to the likes of Roman Anthony and Miguel Bleis means that Boston is still very, very deep in the outfield around Jarren Duran, and Breslow is going to be looking to balance out what is currently a lefty-heavy lineup.

Abreu was a real bright spot as a rookie in 2024, and figures to carry some trade value around the league. But he wasn't so good that the Red Sox should hug him too tightly; his on-base skills leave something to be desired, and it remains to be seen how the league might adjust to him as he becomes more established. Landing a pitcher like Crochet checked Boston's biggest box for minimal money, and those savings should be spent on finding a corner outfielder bopper who fits the team's timeline and roster a bit better.

1. Kutter Crawford

Hear me out here. Yes, Boston still doesn't have all that much pitching depth to spare after landing Crochet, and yes, Crawford showed real promise in 2024. But Breslow still has a Soto-sized bag of cash burning a hole in his pocket, and who better to spend it on than Corbin Burnes?

The Red Sox could still use another starter to really take things to the next level, a 1-2 punch that could compete with the New York Yankees and anyone else in the AL (or, heck, the Majors). Crawford, along with Abreu and Triston Casas, is a valuable trade chip, and Boston could flip him for offensive help (maybe to the Cubs for Cody Bellinger and/or Nico Hoerner?) while spending some of John Henry's money to make sure the rotation doesn't feel his loss too acutely.