Red Sox Predicted To Lose 31-Year-Old All-Star To Yankees

Two members of the Boston Red Sox's 2025 starting rotation are available in free agency right now.

Lucas Giolito had a great, bounce-back season with the organization in 2025. Giolito missed all of the 2024 season and responded by logging a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts for the organization. The veteran righty was huge for the organization, especially down the stretch, but missed the playoff series against the New York Yankees due to an elbow issue.

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Former Red Sox starter Walker Buehler is also available in free agency right now. He was a big get last offseason and then the two sides went in different directions during the season as Buehler struggled. He landed with the Philadelphia Phillies down the stretch and is looking for his next opportunity.

The Red Sox hurler is available

Of the two, Giolito is the most interesting right now. He's 31 years old and made it clear to WEEI's Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast that he's healthy. Giolito had success in 2025 and will be able to help a team in 2026 if he stays healthy. But which team could that be? Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly dropped a prediction that Red Sox fans would hate: the New York Yankees.

"Original Team Prediction: Yankees," Kelly wrote. "Updated Team Prediction: Yankees. Lucas Giolito told Rob Bradford of Baseball Isn't Boring that he was completely healthy in December, but he wasn't available for the postseason because he dealt with an elbow injury. That came after he missed all of 2024 after having an internal brace procedure on that right elbow. Some teams are going to be scared off by that recent injury history.

"Ironically, it could be the Yankees—a team with injury questions surrounding Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Clark Schmidt and Carlos Rodón—that make the most sense for Giolito. If they're willing to consider another pitcher with a lengthy injury history via trade in Edward Cabrera, why would they shy away from Giolito? If not the Yankees, any of the teams we've mentioned with Valdez, Suárez and Gallen would make sense for Giolito."

Giolito's market has been quiet, but the Yankees were a team linked to him earlier in the offseason. As of writing, this is just a prediction and doesn't mean a deal is coming. But this would be brutal for Boston. It would make the race in the American League East even tougher. Giolito was a fan-favorite in Boston. Going over to the Yankees would be a tough pill to swallow.

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