Garrett Crochet is set to lose his opt-out clause

The Red Sox are on a roll. Despite their loss Wednesday night to Baltimore, their 15-game winning streak has been eye-opening.

We now expect the Red Sox to be active in the trade market.

The Red Sox's goal, in addition to acquiring new players, will be to find a way to rely on Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet by the end of the season.

They are two of the team's best players and have been sidelined for a long time.

Crochet is expected to need about six weeks before he can start pitching again. And he's not ready to throw a ball yet.

So the goal will be to have him back in shape by the start of the playoffs. And even then, he wouldn't be given a starting role if he were healthy.

According to @timbhealey, Garrett Crochet is meeting with the Red Sox training staff this week to finalize a plan (for his return)

. “The playoffs are the major milestone on Crochet's mental calendar because of the lead time required. Once he's cleared to throw—which isn't imminent—he'll… pic.twitter.com/oPCjXHFoyc

— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) July 22, 2026

In any case, it's pretty much impossible to see him back in August. And contractually, this changes a lot for him.

He has been on the injured list since April 29 (retroactive to the 26th, in effect) and will spend more than 120 days on the injured list due to an issue with his left arm.

And under his contract, spending 120 days on the IL due to his left arm means he loses two privileges.

Which ones? He will no longer have an opt-out clause after the 2030 season, and the Red Sox will now have a $15 million option for 2032.

He will earn $28.8 million per year from 2027 to 2030 and $30 million in 2031. After that, the Red Sox's $15 million option (2032) will come into play.

The pitcher isn't necessarily happy to learn that he'll lose his opt-out clause for 2030, but he isn't unhappy knowing that the worst-case scenario is staying in Boston. That part makes him happy.

Garrett Crochet on likely losing his ability to opt out after 2030 and the Red Sox getting a $15 million team option for 2032, via @timbhealey: “It

sucks, but I mean, what's the worst thing that happens? I'm in Boston for another year? Which is pretty good. This is a place that I… pic.twitter.com/TY7xI8FEQQ

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) July 22, 2026

The clause had been negotiated this way because the Red Sox wanted to share the risk of injury with the pitcher. He's always been prone to injuries, especially when transitioning from reliever to starter, and he knew what he was signing up for.

But in the short term, that's not the pitcher's main concern. He just wants to get back on the mound to pitch for his team.

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