The Boston Red Sox may have unexpected competition to sign one of their starting pitchers this offseason.
After missing the entire first season of his two-year, $38 million contract, Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito will be hitting free agency again. Despite a resurgent season, Boston ultimately decided not to extend Giolito a qualifying offer.
The 31-year-old hurler made a major impact for the Red Sox in his first full season, going 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA, but the end of his season was derailed due to an elbow injury, which held him off the roster for Boston’s matchup against the New York Yankees.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicts that Giolito will betray the Red Sox this offseason and sign with the Yankees in free agency.
“Lucas Giolito did not receive a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, which should help to improve his murky free-agent stock,” Kelly wrote Monday. “On one hand, he was tremendous for the Red Sox this season, posting a 3.41 ERA across 145 innings after an internal brace procedure on his right elbow forced him to miss the entirety of the 2024 season. On the other hand, Giolito does have a major surgery in the not-so-distant past and a right elbow injury forced him to miss the ALWCS.
“Still, the recent injury history—along with a 2023 campaign that saw him allow an AL-worst 41 home runs while pitching for three different teams—is going to give some teams pause. Two years is probably the ceiling Giolito will get in terms of guaranteed seasons. The Yankees—who have an ace in Max Fried, and hope Gerrit Cole will resemble one when he returns from Tommy John surgery—are looking more for a middle of the rotation arm.”
A team can never have enough pitching, and with how the Toronto Blue Jays handled the Yankees’ pitching in the postseason, bringing in a former All-Star like Giolito could help them improve their rotation while also taking away a key part of the Red Sox’s rotation from this season.
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