Red Sox ‘Concerned’ With Lucas Giolito; Opening Day In Doubt

The Red Sox's pitching pool might have just taken another hit in the form of their biggest offseason acquisition.

Lucas Giolito, who agreed to a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Red Sox this offseason, felt some discomfort in his elbow following his latest spring training start, according to manager Alex Cora. Boston is doubtful Giolito will be ready for the start of the season, and are in the process of setting up more tests for the 29-year-old.

"We're obviously concerned," Cora said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. "Not a good day for us."

Giolito's injury, if it ends up being what it looks like, is a tough blow for the Red Sox. He'll earn an $18 million salary in 2024 and will receive a $1 million buyout if he opts out of the contract next offseason. If Giolito doesn't opt out after the first year, he'll earn a $19 million salary for 2025.

Giolito’s deal also includes a conditional option for 2026, which is worth $14 million that the club can exercise if he throws under 140 innings. It looked like a solid deal for Boston, considering Giolito is an innings eater, but they might have been a year too late on the conditional option, who only counts toward the 2025 season.

It remains to be seen just how bad things are for Giolito, but it appears you can pencil in Brayan Bello as the Opening Day starter. There also likely will be an additional rotation spot up for grabs between Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski, maybe for the entirety of the upcoming season. The Red Sox will have an opportunity to make additional moves to help ease the blow, but Cora's ominous words don't leave a good feeling about Giolito's availability moving forward.