Red Sox sound ready to take the necessary plunge with Garrett Crochet

Perhaps much to the chagrin of the fanbase at this point in the offseason, the prized move of the Boston Red Sox offseason to this point has been trading for Garrett Crochet. Make no mistake, getting the flamethrower in the blockbuster trade with the White Sox is a massive get for Craig Breslow and Boston. However, it's been the lack of moves otherwise that has left the fans a bit frustrated.

Breslow and the Red Sox front office, however, might be working on something to make not just the offseason better but the Crochet trade specifically even better.

According to Chris Cotillo and MassLive, the Red Sox brass have been working with Crochet and his agent working toward a deal to avoid arbitration before Thursday's deadline. However, in the midst of those expected discussions, there have also been some discussions about the possibility of an extension.

Cotillo reported that "it remains unclear" if Boston and Crochet are anywhere close on an extension but it's a sign that Breslow and the Red Sox are indeed ready, at least to some degree, to go all-in on Crochet and the risk-reward the southpaw represents.

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Red Sox, Garrett Crochet in early talks on potential extension

Crochet is flat-out nasty. Not a soul who's watched him pitch can deny that. But the risk is obvious as well. He was dominant as a strikeout-happy starter last season but he pitched only 146.0 innings in Chicago, which was still by far his career-high. The Red Sox wouldn't have made the trade if they didn't believe there was more to come and left in the tank and that he can be the frontline ace Boston has been lacking.

The uncertainty, however, makes extension talks all the more complicated. Cotillo speculated about the possibility of a five-year deal, one that would erase his two remaining arbitration years and "erase" three years of Crochet's free agency while still allowing him to seek a potentially even more lucrative deal as a free agent at age 30.

At the same time, though, it feels like this could go so many ways. A five-year deal sounds reasonable. A six-year deal sounds reasonable. Hell, even something like a 10-year deal can't be ruled out at this point. We simply don't know what Breslow and the Red Sox are thinking in this.

However, the fact that they are thinking and already laying the groundwork for an extension, even if risky, is unequivocally the right move. Trading two Top 100 prospects in baseball (Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery) along with two other Top 20 prospects in the organization for just two years of Crochet with the inherent risk would be borderline unforgivable and undoubtedly bad business. An extension has always been the logical next step.

Of course, extending Crochet shouldn't be the end for the Red Sox this offseason. They appear to be still quite active and leaving no stone unturned, especially in the pursuit of a right-handed bat. At the same time, though, inking a new deal with the southpaw would definitely help the vibes among the fans after they've diminished quite a bit since the trade was made.