Report: White Sox interested in Abreu as hook trade headliner originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Acquiring an ace should be the Boston Red Sox’ top priority this season. They can do that by spending big money on one of the top free-agent starters, or they can find a trade partner.
Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet is the most coveted pitcher on the trade market right now. A number of teams have reportedly shown interest in the 25-year-old All-Star, including Boston. Sean McAdam of MassLive.com recently reported that the Red Sox are “in the thick of the Crochet sweepstakes.”
McAdam shared more information about the Crochet trade talks during an appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast. He identified outfielder Wilyer Abreu as a player Chicago would be interested in as the key piece returning in a deal.
“I would say that on the right deal, Abreu could be made available for a frontline starter like Crochet,” he said. “I was even told that the White Sox are interested in Abreu and would be happy if he headlined – obviously because he’s not the only guy in the deal. They would have to do a lot more than that, including getting a nice prospect to go with him, but Abreu is someone on the White Sox’ radar.”
The Red Sox, as McAdam notes, have a logjam in the outfield. They also have a left-heavy lineup, so as a left-handed outfielder, Abreu is one of their most sensible trade chips in a potential deal to start pitching.
“It’s not like the Red Sox are trying to fire him. But again, they have some redundancy here where they can move Abreu and make room and have an outfield with (Jarren) Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and maybe Kristian Campbell who has played the outfield, and certainly Roman Anthony,” McAdam added
“So they’re in a position where they’ve collected all these intriguing young guys, whether they’re top players in Baseball America or guys with very little service time who would be attractive to a team like the White Sox in the middle of their careers. ” a reconstruction.”
Breaking up with Abreu would hurt. The 25-year-old is coming off an impressive rookie year, recording 15 home runs and a .781 OPS in 132 games. He also earned the Gold Glove award in right field.
But with pitching being such a glaring need, and Crochet having some serious upside, the Red Sox would be foolish not to consider the trade. Crochet posted a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a whopping 209 strikeouts and just 33 walks over 32 starts last season. The White Sox lightened his workload in the second half of their dismal 2024 campaign, so he finished with just 146 innings pitched.
As for which prospects should be included in such a trade, it’s unclear whether Boston should include any of their “Big 4” of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell and Kyle Teel. If so, it could be a dealbreaker for a club that has touted its top prospects as key to the organization’s future success.
