MLB Rumors: Red Sox ‘Remain Engaged’ On Former All-Star Pitcher

We’re about to flip the calendar to 2024, and the Red Sox still are in need of starting pitching help.

The crown jewel no longer is on the market, as Yoshinobu Yamamato landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a monumental contract. But fortunately for Boston, there still are a number of free-agent options out there who could provide a boost to the rotation.

One of them is Lucas Giolito, who the Red Sox “remain engaged on,” per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. Giolito is coming off a horrendous 2023 season split between three teams, but multiple clubs reportedly are interested in the right-hander due to his upside.

Giolio was very good in the middle of his Chicago White Sox tenure, which spanned six-plus seasons. The 29-year-old received American League Cy Young Award votes in every season between 2019 and 2021, a three-year run that saw Giolito post an average ERA of 3.47. The 16th overall pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft also was an All-Star in 2019 when he posted a 14-9 record with a 3.41 ERA.

To be clear, the ninth-year pro should not be a priority for Boston. If the Red Sox are serious about contending in 2024, they should target a bonafide stud like Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell. But if Giolito still is floating around later in the offseason, he could be a low-risk, high-reward project for new pitching coach Andrew Bailey.

In other free agency news, Boston reportedly has “discussed contract parameters” with another former AL All-Star.