BOSTON -- The common thread for nearly all athletes is that the first trade in a career is typically a gut punch.

You¡¯ve been traded from the first professional organization that believed in you. You have to find a new home and learn the ins and outs of a new team.

Then there is Garrett Crochet, the emerging lefty ace Boston acquired on Wednesday. The 25-year-old had been in a non-stop wave of trade rumors that started in July before finally coming to an end when the White Sox sent him to the Red Sox for four prospects on the final day of the Winter Meetings.

Instead of being stressed by a trade, Crochet can now take a deep breath because of it.

¡°There was definitely a lot of relief when it finally came to fruition,¡± Crochet said in a Zoom call on Friday. ¡°And I got the call from [White Sox general manager Chris] Getz and eventually [Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig] Breslow as well. A lot of people might view the trade as adding some chaos into your life, but for me, it felt like all the chaos was stripped away to just worrying about it for months on end, knowing that it's kind of the writing on the wall. It's nice ... just being able to put it behind me and [look] forward to the season.¡±

While Crochet didn¡¯t know for sure where he would be going if he got traded, the fact that the many rumors that had him going to Boston proved to be true provided another sense of relief.

¡°I think that the opportunity to play for the market of Boston, the fanbase that's representing the Red Sox, is about as great of an opportunity as you can come by in this game,¡± said Crochet. ¡°Especially growing up, that's what you imagined to be as Major League Baseball. Playing in the [American League] East, Boston, New York, all that. And I grew up watching Big Papi, so it¡¯s going to be a very surreal moment to play where he played.¡±

Crochet will also be in an organization that Pedro Martinez once dominated for and still works for. In fact, Crochet got an instant reminder of Martinez when he had to give up uniform No. 45 -- the one he wore in Chicago. The Red Sox retired 45 shortly after Martinez was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Crochet will wear No. 35 while fronting Boston¡¯s rotation.

¡°I think that having any sort of conversation with Pedro would be my ideal world,¡± Crochet said, ¡°I'm kind of going in with low expectations, hoping to bump into guys when I can. But other than that, when I get into Spring Training, I intend on just having my head down and working hard.¡±

It has been an interesting path so far for Crochet, who was the 11th overall pick by the White Sox in the 2020 Draft. He made his MLB debut later that season (there wasn¡¯t a Minor League season due to COVID-19 restrictions).

At first, Crochet was a reliever, one who had to undergo Tommy John surgery prior to the 2022 season. His recovery involved some speed bumps that limited him to just 13 games in ¡¯23.

When last season came along, Crochet was moved to the White Sox rotation, a transformative moment in his career that landed him on the AL All-Star team and, eventually, made him the centerpiece of a trade to the Red Sox.

The only drawback to the job switch is that Crochet was on an innings limit in the second half of last season, pitching just 38 2/3 innings in 12 starts after the All-Star break. That was a letdown for the left-hander, even though he fully understood the reasoning behind it. After logging a total of 146 innings in 2024, Crochet doesn¡¯t envision having limitations in his first season in Boston.

¡°In terms of how long my leash will be, I hope to not even be wearing a collar come second half next year,¡± Crochet said.

Not only did Crochet have his workload greatly reduced those last couple of months of 2024, but he also was part of a team that wound up setting a Modern Era (since 1900) record with 121 losses.

Going forward, Crochet expects to be pitching in big games with the season on the line. He looks at a Red Sox rotation and a roster filled with talented players -- many of them in their mid-to-late 20s -- and is excited about what is ahead.

¡°That¡¯s very exciting. I was in the playoffs in 2021 and shortly after I debuted in ¡®20,¡± Crochet said. ¡°There were early exits both times. So that¡¯s something that's kind of stuck with me over the years. I know what the feeling is like, and I'd like to lengthen that as much as possible and make a deep run.¡±