The Boston Red Sox are short of starting pitchers toward the end of the 2024 season. And they don’t have a single left-hander in their starting lineup.

What if they changed both things by 2025?

With Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito under contract for next season, the Red Sox have a decent base of talent to work with. But they don’t have anyone who is racking up a lot of strikeouts, and a rotation full of right-handers can be a competitive disadvantage.

The Red Sox have also been hesitant to spend big money on free agents in recent offseasons, especially pitchers. So instead of looking for star players among free agents, the Red Sox could hit the transfer market. That fits in quite nicely with another American League team’s upcoming decision on one of their starters.

Bleacher Report’s Joel Lauter wrote Thursday that the “biggest decision” the Chicago White Sox and Chris Getz will have to make this winter is whether to trade star player Garrett Crochet, who could be a coveted trade target for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox.

“With the club having control of him through 2026, (Crochet) remains a valuable offseason trade piece,” Reuter said. “Expect them to make a deal this winter, whether it’s a contract extension to build around him or a trade to expand the farm system.”

Crochet, 25, has been a revelation in the first half of 2024, leading the American League in strikeouts for most of the season and making the All-Star team for the first time. Since the trade deadline, his workload has been reduced and his ERA has risen to 3.64, but he still has a remarkable 12.6 K/9, which leads all starting pitchers.

Before the trade deadline, Crochet was reportedly unwilling to accept a bullpen or postseason role for any team that signed him unless they first granted him a contract extension. That may or may not remain the case depending on how Crochet fares in arbitration.

Crochet is making just $800,000 this season, his first as a starting pitcher. He will likely make several times that in 2025, perhaps even eight figures. With that first salary secured, Crochet may be ready to bet on himself and keep pitching despite arbitration. He will be a free agent in 2026.

If the Red Sox bring Crochet to Boston, their starting lineup in 2025 would be a lot more intimidating. Expect Breslow to at least call up Getz and the White Sox this winter. What happens then is up to the executives.

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