Rays 'Perfect' Target Would Be Bad News For Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox play in arguably the most competitive division in all of Major League Baseball.

The National League East and National League West can make an argument as well, but the American League East is a juggernaut pretty much every year. In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees went 94-68 and the Boston Red Sox were behind them at 89-73. There was a clear divide between the top three and the bottom two (Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles). The Rays went 77-85 and the Orioles went 75-87.

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But things already look tighter on paper in the division. The Red Sox have gotten better through the trade market. The Blue Jays went out and signed Dylan Cease, among other moves. The Yankees are still a beast, even in a quiet offseason. The Orioles signed Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley and acquired Shane Baz from Toronto. The Rays traded Baz and Brandon Lowe away, but they can't be ignored in the division right now. The Rays are always competitive and MLB.com's Andrew Simon pitched a "perfect" fit that would help Tampa Bay and hurt Boston in the process: Lucas Giolito.

The Red Sox should be watching the market closely

"To the Rays: A new project," Simon wrote. "SP Lucas Giolito (Rank: 30). It’s been a somewhat tumultuous four years for Giolito since he finished 2021 by logging Cy Young Award votes for the third season in a row. He did bounce back somewhat with the Red Sox a year ago, after missing all of 2024 due to right elbow surgery, but his 3.41 ERA belied a 5.00 expected ERA, per Statcast, and a host of concerning below-the-surface numbers.

"That said, Giolito wouldn’t be the first veteran pitcher to boost his career with a stint with the Rays, and for its part, Tampa Bay could use additional rotation protection after trading Baz, and with Shane McClanahan trying to come back from two lost seasons in a row. Even if the Rays don’t wind up in contention this summer, a revived Giolito would be a nice chip to have at the Trade Deadline."

Tampa Bay doesn't spend at the levels of the other teams in the division, but it finds a way to make some noise pretty much every year. Part of the reason for this is the team's ability to get high-level pitching out of seemingly anyone. Giolito was great in Boston in 2025. Now, coming off a healthy season, imagine what he could do in Tampa Bay?

The Red Sox have massive competition throughout the division. This idea from Simon would add even more.

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