Yankees' massive silver lining after Red Sox strike blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade

The biggest move of the Winter Meetings went down on Wednesday afternoon right before the Rule 5 Draft, and it of course involved the New York Yankees' most hated enemy in the Boston Red Sox. The two rivals did battle for Max Fried on Tuesday night, but Boston just countered.

According to Julian McWilliams, the Red Sox are trading for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet and the package heading back to Chicago in return is massive. The Red Sox have whiffed in free agency, and reportedly quarreled over going after Alex Bregman, but they rebounded in an impactful way.

But if Yankees fans wanted some silver linings, there are many. First of all, Crochet is only under control through 2026, and this current Red Sox roster isn't exactly built to contend in the short-term.

In fact, all Red Sox fans talk about is how incredible their farm system is and how they're set up for the next 15-20 years. Yes, as we know very well, good prospects almost always translate to championships. Prospects always pan out if you're a Red Sox fan. This is their World Series now.

But by that logic, Boston just severely impacted their future. They traded No. 4 prospect catcher Kyle Teel, No. 5 prospect (and 2024 first-round draft pick) outfielder Braden Montgomery, No. 11 prospect infielder Chase Meidroth, and No. 14 prospect pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez to acquire Crochet. That's quite the haul for two years of a guy who only became a full-time starting pitcher in 2024.

Red Sox surrender massive trade package for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet

Yes, this is a Yankees fan blog, but we're not that petty. Just because one of our rivals makes a move doesn't mean we immediately sound the alarm bells to pick it apart and try to cope as quickly as possible. There's legitimate concern with acquiring Crochet, which is why so many teams were hesitant as the asking price continued to skyrocket.

Then again, the Red Sox had a deep farm system and they dealt from positions of surplus. So all in all, they might not end up feeling this at all. But when you consider the advertised upside of Teel, Montgomery and even Gonzalez, you have to wonder if they got backed into a corner with the wrong trade target, who will now also cost money for a hefty extension/will likely break Max Fried's lefty contract record if the talent materializes and durability remains. And if it doesn't...?

Crochet has 32 career starts under his belt and already started demanding a new contract if he were traded before the 2024 deadline. He also pitched in just 13 games between 2022-2023 due to Tommy John surgery. He helps the Red Sox's payroll and roster in the short term, but they need a lot of other chips to fall in their favor in order to justify paying this price. And if the Sox want to make another trade? They're now in danger of depleting resources closer to the MLB level.

This does warrant another counter from the Yankees, but they shouldn't be worrying unless the Red Sox make two more impact moves by the end of the Winter Meetings.