Lucas Giolito Suddenly Hot Name in Free Agency After Red Sox Stint

The Boston Red Sox are fortunately in a very good place in the starting rotation.

In fact, the Red Sox are actually loaded right now in the rotation. The Red Sox have Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and Johan Oviedo. On top of this, the Red Sox have Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Kyle Harrison, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early as depth options.

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That's good news for Boston and bad news for Lucas Giolito. The former All-Star thrived for Boston in 2025 and now is a free agent. Somehow, he's still out there on the open market with under two weeks to go until Spring Training kicks off across baseball. He made it clear early in the offseason that he would be open to sticking around in Boston while joining the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast with WEEI's Rob Bradford. But, there isn't space for him right now in Boston. So, where could he go?

The former Red Sox starter is available

Sep 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Jon Heyman of the New York Post gave an update on his market and mentioned the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves and the San Francisco Giants.

"I mean, he was really good for Boston last year," Heyman said. "I even thought that he was going to get the qualifying offer. We've heard that the Tigers are in on him. The Orioles, they're in on every really good starting pitcher. Potentially — I don't want to say fallback because that sounds negative. You've got to assume [Framber Valdez] would be their No. 1 choice, but they're in on Giolito, I'm sure. And the Braves, I heard are in on Giolito.

"They like him too. The Giants, maybe. They've already signed two guys, obviously. [Adrian Houser] and [Tyler Mahle]. Maybe the Giants could be for him as well. But I would look at the Tigers, Orioles or Braves. The Braves are also in on [Chris Bassitt]. They're looking in that area for a starter. They're both excellent, excellent starters."

It certainly sounds like Giolito's market is picking up steam, but Boston isn't a likely option.

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