Red Sox free agent idea lands $21 million pitcher to pair with Garrett Crochet

This past offseason, the Boston Red Sox made a significant trade, acquiring Chicago White Sox ace pitcher Garrett Crochet.

Crochet is one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball and is still under the team's control until at least the 2031 season.

The 26-year-old pitcher should be in Boston for a while, which could help attract other top free agent pitchers to the Red Sox.

Some pitchers might want to create an amazing No. 1 and No. 2 pitching combo, and Conor Ryan from Boston.com thinks the Red Sox should try to go after the San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease this winter.

"The Red Sox have their ace in place with Garrett Crochet. But Boston would significantly boost their viability as a top contender if they add a legitimate No. 2 option behind Crochet in their starting rotation moving forward As such, it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if the Red Sox are one the teams willing to throw the bag at Cease out on the open market this winter," Ryan wrote. "The 29-year-old righty has had a lackluster season so far with San Diego (4.43 ERA) ahead of his free-agent year. But, Cease has been one of the best starters in baseball for a steady stretch, finishing second in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022 with Chicago before placing fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024 with San Diego. Cease, who is on pace to strike out 232 batters over 185 innings of work this season, has posted 200+ strikeouts each season since 2021."

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According to Spotrac, Cease's market value is estimated to be $21 million per season, so paying Cease will require a significant amount of money that the Red Sox could use at a few other positions.

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