Boston Red Sox Free Agent a Fit For the A's?
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While the A's haven't been terribly active this offseason, they've largely made the additions they're going to make. They've added a number of players on minor-league deals to shore up their depth, while also trading for second baseman Jeff McNeil in a salary dump from the New York Mets, and extending left fielder Tyler Soderstrom. They've also added Mark Leiter Jr. in free agency.
Those have been the big ones for the Athletics this winter, but there is one more move that they're hoping to get done—adding to the starting rotation. Just a couple of days ago, we laid out what happens if the A's don't sign a starting pitcher this winter, and why that may not be a bad thing. In Martín Gallegos's newsletter, GM David Forst seemed to agree with our logic.
Still, one of the pitchers that Gallegos mentioned in his piece was former Boston Red Sox starter, Lucas Giolito. He fits the bill for the A's as both a veteran and someone that has some questions surrounding him, which could make it easier for the green and gold to land him with a good offer.
Now, Giolito wasn't mentioned with rumors attached to him landing in Sacramento with the A's, but more as the type of pitcher that the club could be after.
One thing that stands out is that he wouldn't command a long-term deal. Forst mentioned during Soderstrom's extension press conference that he hadn't had conversations with free agents about deals that would extend into playing in Las Vegas, meaning that the team's targets have been guys that would be on one-or-two-year deals.
The projection that MLB Trade Rumors put out for Giolito earlier this offseason was a two-year deal worth $32 million. The concern with the 31-year-old righty is that he missed the entire 2024 campaign, and while he managed to fill 145 innings in 2025 to the tune of a 3.41 ERA (4.17 FIP), he was also dealing with elbow issues late in the season.
His xERA also came in at 5.00, which isn't exactly a glowing endorsement for how he was throwing the ball in 2025, despite the dazzling ERA.
From 2019 through last season, he has held a cumulative 4.00 ERA (4.08 FIP) in 161 starts spanning an average of 153 innings per year, when healthy. It's the "when healthy" that could be giving teams pause.
The question that the A's front office would have to answer here is whether they want to take the injury and/or ineffective risk at that price point. While other teams may be able to let his market crater and pounce at that point, the A's will likely have to beat those other offers in order to convince him that Sacramento is the place to be.
For the A's, the price tag would still likely hang out around that projected two years and $32 million, perhaps with an opt-out after the first year. If the A's could guarantee his health for 2026 and know they'd get a 4.00 ERA with 150+ innings that they don't have to figure out, they're likely making that deal. It's the uncertainty that would hang them up.
Thus far, the A's haven't had much "dead" money on the roster as they've started to spend. All teams that spend a little cash end up having a lackluster deal or two on the books, and it's just a matter of time before the A's get one of their own. Giolito has some intriguing upside to consider, but his downside is also eating away at some of the limited financial resources the club is still operating with.
That said, there's no such thing as a bad one-year deal.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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