Injuries have completely taken over the career of starting pitcher Lucas Giolito in the past few years, and it has cost him. Giolito is once again entering free agency, and he will be looking for another place to start over.
The veteran right-hander spent last season with the Boston Red Sox, and he put together a decent enough season. In 26 games for the Red Sox, Giolito posted an ERA of 3.41 for the year, while also putting up a WHIP of 1.29.
Giolito would have preferred to be more consistent throughout the year, but his numbers were still strong enough to have him land a strong market this winter. His season was delayed due to injury, and at first, things looked a little rough for him in Boston.
Through his first six starts of the season, Giolito posted an ERA of 4.78. However, his final 20 starts showed the potential that Giolito has as he broke off the rust.
In the second part of the season, Giolito posted an ERA of 3.03 over his final 113 innings of work for the Red Sox. One issue for Giolito came from his walk rate, as he issued walks nearly 10 percent of the time.
Giolito missed the entire 2024 season due to injury as well, so there could be a few knocks against him this winter. This could cause some problems in negotiations, but the teams have signed players for worse numbers.
Teams will have to do risk calculations with Giolito when looking to sign him, but he can still be a quality addition to any pitching staff. But how large a contract he will get remains to be seen at this time.
Lucas Giolito Signs With Baltimore Orioles
One team that is expected to be a big player in the free agency market for pitching help is the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore lost ace Corbin Burnes last offseason, and the team never replaced him in the starting rotation.
Since the Orioles haven’t typically been willing to spend big money in free agency, the front office could elect to bring in a few quality starters, rather than one ace. This could see them take the flyer on someone like Giolito, and it could be a low-risk move for this team.
Adding Giolito and another arm could give the Orioles more depth across the starting rotation, and this is more of how the team operates. Giolito could have a chance to anchor the rotation for Baltimore, and his presence would be a welcome sight to the pitching staff.
Baltimore isn’t too far off from the team winning the American League East division a few years ago, so the pressure is on this front office to add to the roster this offseason. But how aggressive the organization will get is a mystery, and one of the bigger questions going around the league right now.
