In predictable news, Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet did not win the American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, losing out to Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. Skubal is the first repeat winner in the American League since the 2000 season. Pedro Martinez won in both 1999 and 2000.

Crochet did finish second, a testament to his incredible year on the mound for the Sox, who reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros was third.

Crochet was dominant in 2025, going 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 32 regular season starts. He struck out a major-league best 255 batters in 205.1 innings and led the American League in innings pitched, showing the kind of workhorse he can be. He earned an All-Star appearance in his first year in Boston, and he also signed a six-year extension worth $170 million.

An impressive story

Crochet's rise has been meteoric considering he wasn't even a starting pitcher just two years ago. Crochet debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, making five appearances as a reliever before making 54 more out of the bullpen in 2021. He missed all of 2022 with Tommy John surgery and then made 13 relief appearances when coming back in 2023. The White Sox converted him to a starter in 2024 and he's taken off and run with it, becoming an All-Star in back-to-back seasons.

The Red Sox acquired him from Chicago before the 2025 season for a prospect package headlined by former first-round pick Kyle Teel. Teel and Chase Meidroth both played for the White Sox in the 2025 season as they look to come out of their rebuild sooner rather than later.

Can Crochet improve even more?

According to his pitching coach Andrew Bailey, yes. Bailey told NESN's '310 to Left' podcast that he thinks Crochet will get better as he masters other pitches, including his two-seamer and his changeup. That's a scary proposition for big-league hitters.

Up next for Boston

The goal for the Red Sox now is to find a front line ace to pair with Crochet in the rotation so that they can chase their first World Series title since the 2018 campaign. They've been speculatively linked to Joe Ryan (Minnesota Twins) and Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee Brewers) on the trade market, while they've also been connected to high-priced free agents like Dylan Cease.

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