The Boston Red Sox made a big splash this winter, trading for starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. Don't expect them to dip into the free-agent market for starting pitchers in the same way unless they can do so on short-term deals.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, "After getting burned on nine-figure contracts for Chris Sale and David Price, Red Sox owner John Henry is reluctant to award long-term deals to pitchers, according to sources briefed on his thinking."

He added that "perhaps his hesitancy will extend to an extension for Crochet, who is under club control for two more seasons. But the Red Sox are so deep in young talent, that they cannot possibly fit all of their prospects onto future 26-man rosters. So for them, Wednesday's trade for Crochet was a move that made perfect sense."

The Red Sox ultimately gave up four highly-regarded prospects to land Crochet—catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez. All four are now considered top-14 prospects in Chicago's farm system, per MLB Pipeline.

Giving up young talent to acquire starting pitching was apparently more appealing than making long-term commitments to the top free agents on the board like Corbin Burnes, though the Red Sox could perhaps dip into the next level of options below him like Sean Manaea or Jack Flaherty, depending on the length of the deals they're seeking.

Crochet, 25, will eventually need an extension of his own if Boston plans to keep him for the long term, though his two remaining arbitration years should make him a relative bargain from a salary perspective.

He was excellent in his first full season as a starting pitcher, finishing 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209 strikeouts in just 146 innings. Winning the Crochet sweepstakes was a statement of intent from the Red Sox after a disappointing 2024 season, especially if they pair him with a major addition in free agency like Alex Bregman, Teoscar Hernández or Anthony Santander.

"We feel like we got a legitimate No. 1 starter in Garrett," general manager Craig Breslow told reporters. "Left-handed, ton of swing and miss, massive strikeouts and feel like the best is still in front of him. So we're excited about what he brings. And obviously, we needed to trade really good players in order to be able to do this. But that's the cost right now and we're very much focused on what we were able to get."

Just don't expect them to offer a star pitcher a lengthy contract. After getting burnt on those types of deals in the past, the Red Sox appear to have moved onto a new roster-building philosophy when it comes to bolstering the rotation.