It was just during the Winter Meetings last year that superstar Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet was traded to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Chase Meidroth, right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez, outfielder Braden Montgomery and catcher Kyle Teel.
Now Boston wants to take back one of those young players in a separate trade package.
According to MassLive.com, MLB insiders Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo, Teel is highly sought after by the Red Sox front office to be reacquired.
But let’s pump the brakes. Not only would this trade be highly unprecedented, but also highly unlikely.
Why Does Boston Want Teel Back?
It appears that even after Crochet’s Cy Young runner-up season, where he had career-bests in ERA (2.59), innings (205.1) and strikeouts (255), Boston feels they made a mistake in trading their best catching prospect in Teel.
While the Red Sox are hopeful of reacquiring Teel, nothing is close as of now.
“Re-acquiring Teel is easier said than done for the Red Sox, especially because Chicago might demand a very high price to effectively undo a major deal that altered the futures of both clubs,” McAdam and Cotillo wrote.
Even after one season of Teel being on the southsiders, General Manager Chris Getz and the White Sox front office are very impressed with what they have seen from the young catcher.
In 78 games in his rookie season, Teel had a slash line of .273/.375/.411 with eight home runs and 1.9 Wins Above Replacement. Teel gives the White Sox another talented lefty bat at one of the most important positions in baseball.
Teel also gives the White Sox flexibility and different lineup options with the emergence of another young backstop in Edgar Quero.
Quero didn’t have quite the offensive season in 111 games that Teel had. But what he didn’t do with his bat, he more than made up for with his glove, having zero passed balls on the year. He was also said to have been excellent in working with the pitching staff and calling the game, which is another very important aspect of a catcher’s job.
With Quero and Teel, the White Sox have one of the best young backstop duos in baseball, which makes this trade highly unlikely to happen.
How The Crochet Return Looks A Year Later
A year later and the Crochet return looks pretty even as far as blockbuster trades go. Crochet has become one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, but how does the rest of the trade look?
Montgomery, the only player from that trade yet to make the major league roster, has a pretty bright future ahead of him. The team’s top prospect and No. 35 in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, Montgomery has above-average tools and the potential to become a five-tool player.
Meidroth played significant baseball for the White Sox in 2025, putting up a slash line of .253/.329/.320 in 122 games. But with the incoming infield crunch the team has, Meidroth figures to be a utility infielder in future years, and a valuable one at that.
Gonzalez, in 16 games out of the bullpen, had a 2.66 ERA and figures to be an important part of the 2026 White Sox bullpen.
With Teel added to the mix, this was a great trade for both sides as the White Sox look to contend in the near future.
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