What ‘Really Sold’ Lucas Giolito On Red Sox In MLB Free Agency

The upcoming Major League Baseball season is an important one for Lucas Giolito.

After a great start to his Chicago White Sox tenure, which included an All-Star appearance in 2019, Giolito endured back-to-back troubling seasons. Last year was especially difficult for the veteran right-hander, who split time between three teams and allowed a career-worst 41 home runs across 33 starts.

Consecutive down seasons resulted in an open market that "wasn't crazy" for Giolito, who ultimately signed with the Red Sox on a one-year deal that has a player option for 2025 and a conditional option for 2026. Speaking with the media Wednesday, the 29-year-old explained what drew him to Boston.

"For me, committing to that big long-term deal at a value that I don't necessarily see myself -- or not really having interest from teams in that type of deal -- it didn’t really make sense," Giolito told reporters, per The Boston Globe. "What makes sense for me is going somewhere where I know I'm going to be comfortable, where I know I'm going to get better. I truly believe that with the Red Sox organization, I was really sold on that."

Giolito is set to join a club that should value him a great deal. Boston entered the offseason with an eye on adding starting pitching, and that need only intensified when Craig Breslow and company traded Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves.

As such, Giolito has a chance to play a very important role for the Red Sox in 2024.