Lucas Giolito signed a two-year deal worth $38.5 million to join the Boston Red Sox last offseason. He was coming off a rough finish to his 2023 campaign, but the Red Sox were hoping he would, at the very least, provide their rotation with some stability. He had made at least 29 starts and thrown at least 160 innings in each of the last five full seasons (excluding 2020). Even if he didn’t pitch like an ace, he’d provide value eating innings.
Unfortunately, that Giolito signing immediately took a turn for the worse when the right-hander suffered a partially torn UCL in Spring Training, ending his season before it even began. Year one of the deal was a complete waste.
With that in mind, Giolito opting into the second year of his contract was a formality, as he wasn’t going to get more in free agency after a lost season. He opted in on Thursday, and is now set to make $19 million in 2025. Red Sox fans hope that the right-hander can give their rotation a boost, but he might even provide more value than what he can do on the mound.
Lucas Giolito can help recruit major FA to Boston
Giolito played high school baseball at Harvard-Westlake on the same team as two star pitchers – Max Fried and Jack Flaherty. This is relevant information both Fried and Flaherty are set to hit free agency in the coming days. Could they want to join Giolito in Beantown?
Obviously, money will play a huge factor here, and based on recent history, Red Sox ownership won’t pony up and spend what it’ll take to land both or even one of these starters. If Red Sox ownership remembers that this is the Red Sox and they can afford anyone they want, though, this makes too much sense. Both Fried and Flaherty would provide a major lift to this rotation which really needs it.
This Red Sox rotation carried them at the beginning of the season but tailed off as the year progressed. Their underwhelming second half (4.06 rotation ERA – 14th in MLB) relative to the first (3.63 rotation ERA – T6th in MLB), was part of why the team limped to the finish line. With Nick Pivetta and James Paxton set to hit free agency, the Red Sox have two holes to fill in their rotation at least. Giolito figures to fill one of them at some point, but the other one (or two) can easily be filled by one or both of Fried and Flaherty.
Fried, a two-time All-Star, is one of the best starting pitchers available in free agency. He posted a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts and 174.1 innings of work this past season for the Atlanta Braves. He’d offer this rotation the kind of postseason experience it lacks, as well as a left-handed arm that it could use.
Flaherty doesn’t have the track record Fried has, but his upside is great. He had an All-Star-caliber year, posting a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts split between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. He won the World Series with Los Angeles, making five postseason starts along the way.
Again, Red Sox ownership would have to pay up in ways they’ve (for whatever reason) refused to in recent years, but this makes too much sense. The Red Sox might not be as appealing as they once were, given the fact that they’ve made the postseason just once since winning the World Series back in 2018, but Giolito’s presence on the roster might entice at least one of these pitchers to come aboard. If that does happen, a rotation consisting of one or both Flaherty and Fried alongside Giolito, Tanner Houck, and Brayan Bello would be especially intriguing.
