Red Sox Reportedly Sign All-Star Starting Pitcher To Bolster Rotation

Boston needed the boost

Scott Neville | Dec 29, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly Sign All-Star Starting Pitcher To Bolster Rotation /

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The Boston Red Sox finally made a notable move to upgrade their rotation after months of inactivity.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spent the last couple of months speaking about his desire to add multiple starting pitchers and finally made a signing that moves the needle.

"BREAKING: Right-hander Lucas Giolito and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $38.5 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season," ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Friday night. "Boston lands its first big signing of the winter. The question now is: Will there be more?"

Giolito posted a 4.88 ERA (91 ERA+) with a 204-to-73 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .240 batting average against and a 1.31 WHIP in 184 1/3 innings last season.

Those numbers do not jump off the page but he was much more dominant earlier in his career and his high strikeout rate and ability to eat innings are useful qualities for a club whose defense was lacking last year.

The 29-year-old is one of the most polarizing starting pitchers in Major League Baseball due to his incredibly inconsistent career but his potential is quite high.

Breslow was wise to add the intriguing starter to a short-term deal given his fluctuation in play as of late.

Giolito posted a 3.47 ERA (129 ERA+) from 2019 to 2021 earning an All-Star nod and three top-11 finishes in AL Cy Young voting during that span. Since then Giolito has a 4.89 ERA in 63 starts.

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Published Dec 29, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu