Wikelman

Gonzalez

Gonzalez will turn 23 near the end of March, and the right-hander was so-so in Double-A with a 4.73 ERA and 92/46 K/BB over 19 starts — 24 overall appearances — in Double-A Portland. He does have a lively arm with a plus fastball and three solid secondary pitches, but the ability to control those offerings is still very much in doubt. For the fourth piece in a trade, however, Gonzalez is a fine get; one with the upside of a mid-rotation starter and the floor of organizational depth with bullpen option the most likely landing spot.

McWilliams notes that Kyle Teel is involved in the trade, while Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic notes that Boston will also send Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez in the deal. The Mets, Yankees and a host of other teams all reportedly had interest in acquiring Crochet, but it appears Boston will get arguably the top pitcher available on the market. Assuming there are no hangups, Crochet should pitch at the top of the Boston rotation, and his ability to miss bats makes him one of the best fantasy bets for 2025.

The pair of roster moves trim Boston’s spring roster to just 54 players, which includes 17 non-roster invitees. Gonzalez was added to the Red Sox’ 40-man roster back in November after excelling last year between High-a Greenville and Double-A Portland.

Gonzalez, 21, registered a 3.96 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 168/70 K/BB ratio over 111 1/3 innings between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in 2023. He actually got better upon the promotion to Double-A — compiling a 2.42 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 63/28 K/BB ratio over 48 1/3 frames in his 10 starts there. Overall, he registered a 35.2 percent strikeout rate across both levels which was among the top starting pitchers in all minor league baseball.