Red Sox's Lucas Giolito Takes Firm Stance On Potential Trade Out Of Boston

Lucas Giolito's career has been a bumpy ride over the last two years, and it's finally starting to level out.

Giolito, once an All-Star with the Chicago White Sox, was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in July of 2023, then was waived and claimed by the Cleveland Guardians at the end of August. He pitched poorly throughout that stretch, but the Boston Red Sox still signed him to a two-year, $38.5 million contract that winter.

The contract once looked as though it would be a complete wash, as Giolito missed his entire first season in Boston due to elbow surgery, then pitched to a 6.42 ERA through his first seven starts this season. But in June, something turned around.

Giolito has pitched to a 0.72 ERA in his last four starts, dropping his season mark all the way down to 3.99. He's allowed only 16 hits and 7 walks in 25 innings during that stretch. It's re-established his value and even made him something of a trade candidate.

However, before Tuesday's suspended game against the Cincinnati Reds, Giolito made one thing clear: he's got no desire to be traded, as he hopes the Red Sox can still turn things around and make the playoffs.

"I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me getting traded, being in a new place and having to quickly try and develop new relationships and all that kind of stuff," Giolito said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. It wasn’t that difficult, but my performance suffered, for sure. I was going through a lot during that period, so it was definitely a challenge, and I’ve learned a lot from it."

"Hopefully we can start to put more performances like we did (Monday) and win some series, win some games and get back into the race, because I have no desire to go through that again. I don’t want to be traded. I really love it here. I want to help this team win games to the end. I’m really pulling for us here.”

There's also a chance Giolito's current contract could keep him in Boston beyond 2025. He has a $19 million mutual option if he eclipses 140 innings, but if not, the Red Sox have a $14 million club option. He's currently at 58 2/3 innings, so he could get to that benchmark, but it would require him staying healthy for the rest of the season.

Regardless, it's nice to see Giolito throwing the ball this well, and affirming his commitment to a team that, remarkably, still has an outside shot at October.

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