Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox's Lucas Giolito Contract Has Chance To Climb To $57 Million Over Three Years

The right-hander could be here for the long haul

Scott Neville

Red Sox's Lucas Giolito Contract Has Chance To Climb To $57 Million Over Three Years
Red Sox's Lucas Giolito Contract Has Chance To Climb To $57 Million Over Three Years /
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Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was willing to stake his first notable free-agent contract on right-hander Lucas Giolito -- a deal that was officially announced on Thursday.

While the investment was seen as short-term at the time, and should largely still be seen as such, there is a chance the 29-year-old remains in Boston for the next three seasons.

The contract has many stipulations from incentives to both player and club options. MassLive's Chris Cotillo broke it all down.

"2024 -- $18 million base salary, $1 million available in incentives," Cotillo wrote Wednesday. 

"2025 -- $19 million player option OR $1 million buyout; $1 million available in incentives.

"2026 -- Conditional option: If 140+ innings pitched in 2025, $14 million club option OR $1.5 million buyout. If less than 140 innings in 2025, $19 mutual option or $1.5 million buyout."

To put his contract in the simplest terms, the deal could reach three years for $57 million but that would require a lot to happen. For starters, Giolito would have to hit 180 innings pitched in 2024, opt into the following year and throw for under 140 innings in 2025. Then both sides would have to accept the $19 million option for 2026.

Realistically, if he hits anywhere near 180 innings in 2024, he'd likely opt out and aim for a long-term deal on the open market.

Still, it's notable to see how Breslow has structured his first deal of relevance. The option/incentive-laden deals lower the risk involved in lucrative contracts. It would be wise for the former reliever to remain on that path.

More MLB: Red Sox Designate Reliever For Assignment Months After Chaim Bloom Traded For Him

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Scott Neville
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

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