Mickey Gasper gives Twins options as a versatile infielder-catcher
After coming over from the Red Sox, Gasper has been impressive at the plate in spring training.
Red Sox top extension candidate unwilling to continue discussions beyond Opening Day
Shortly after they traded for Garrett Crochet, the Boston Red Sox announced their hopes to extend him long-term.
Boston traded four top prospects for the lefty, who said he would be open to an extension wherever he ended up after leaving the Chicago White Sox. In order to get the most out of the trade, the Red Sox must extend him, and do it soon.
Despite the White Sox’s horrendous record last season, Crochet, a former reliever, still turned heads in the starting rotation with his elite stuff and staggering velocity. The lefty pitched to a 3.58 ERA with 209 strikeouts in just 146 innings of work. He boasted 92nd-percentile fastball velocity and a 98th-percentile strikeout percentage in 2024.
Crochet’s value is only increasing, and his spring training performances suggest it could rise fast. He hasn’t allowed a run in three Grapefruit League appearances and he’s clocked 14 strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Crochet also knows how quickly his value is rising, and he’s just 25 years old, so his best years are probably ahead of him. He recently shared that he is not open to continuing potential contract extension conversations into the regular season.
“For me personally, once the season starts, I would like for whatever conversations are currently being had to be placed on the back burner until the following offseason,” Crochet said to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “We have a big season ahead of us and we’re trying to do a lot of special things. I don’t want to be a distraction for the team in any way and I myself don’t want to be distracted by having to answer these kinds of questions in the media.”
