Angels' Big 2023 Deadline Acquisition To Sign With Boston Red Sox, Per Reports

The Angels still don't have a number-1 starter lined up to replace Shohei Ohtani for 2024 and beyond. Free agent Lucas Giolito was never going to fit that bill.

Still, it was worth noting what Giolito was able to land in his first foray into free agency following a turbulent 2023 season that included a brief stop in Anaheim. Friday, the Boston Red Sox ended the suspense and reportedly agreed to sign 29-year-old right-hander.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was first to report the transaction, along with the relevant contract details:

Giolito’s deal with Boston gives him an $18M salary in 2024 and a $1M buyout if he opts out. If not, the salary for 2025 is $19M. There is a conditional option for 2026 — $14M club option if he throws under 140 innings in 2025, $19M mutual option for 140+, with a $1.5M buyout.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 29, 2023

The number of if-then scenarios involved in Giolito's contract with the Red Sox — it could be as short as one year or as long as three — should come as little surprise to anyone who watched him pitch for the Angels in 2023.

Giolito was arguably the best of the six major league players the Angels acquired in a six-week run-up to the trade deadline that ultimately proved futile. At 6-foot-6, he was certainly the biggest.

After going 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts with the Chicago White Sox, Giolito and the Angels were hoping a change of scenery could revitalize his season — and help the team break its 9-year postseason drought. The Angels traded prospects Edgar Quero and Ky Bush to Chicago in exchange for Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez on July 26.

Even the best laid plans sometimes go awry. Giolito went 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA in six starts as an Angel. He was far from the sole reason the team fell short of its postseason ambitions, but few expected the Angels to post the worst record in the American League (17-38) after the trade deadline.

The Angels fell out of contention so quickly, they were able to shed the salary of Giolito (and most of their midseason acquisitions) through waivers. Both Giolito and Lopez were claimed by the Cleveland Guardians. With the Tribe, Giolito went 1-4 with a 7.04 ERA in six starts.

The ending to Giolito's season could not have looked worse on paper. Though it wasn't bad enough to deter the Red Sox (and perhaps other clubs) from offering him a lucrative contract for 2024, it clearly impacted the contract's guaranteed length and payout structure.

If Giolito pitches well in Boston, he can max out his new contract at three years and $56 million. He can earn additional performance-related incentives, as reported by Mass Live's Chris Cotillo:

Source confirms: Red Sox in agreement with Giolito. 2 years, $38.5M with opt out after 2024. $1M in incentives in each year. @JeffPassan first.

If he opts out he gets $19M plus any performance bonuses.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 29, 2023

If the Angels hesitated to match that offer, or Giolito hesitated to accept it, no one would blame either party given Giolito's poor 2023 audition in Anaheim.

The contract terms offer a useful frame of reference for an Angels team still starved for front-line starting pitching. The team has been heavily linked to left-hander Blake Snell, whom MLB Trade Rumors predicted for a seven-year, $200 million contract.

If Snell signs elsewhere — the San Francisco Giants have equal need, if not equal interest — Jordan Montgomery, Shota Imanaga, Marcus Stroman, and former Angels prospect Mike Clevinger are among the free-agent starters still unsigned.

If and when it becomes official, Giolito's contract with the Red Sox will remove him from the Angels' list of potential free agent targets. It's doubtful he was high on the list to begin with.