To some fans' surprise, the Boston Red Sox didn't extend a qualifying offer to Lucas Giolito after his rebound season. Now, the veteran starter is a free agent with no strings attached, and he's already garnered interest from some teams that could hit Boston where it hurts.
On November 13, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that the New York Yankees like Giolito as a free agent. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report sees another American League East rival entering the mix of Giolito's suitors: the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles could make multiple rotation additions this winter after losing Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton and Zach Eflin to free agency, and trading Grayson Rodriguez to the Angels in an early-offseason blockbuster. Giolito suits Baltimore's need for veterans and he's usually quite durable, which would be a nice change of pace for a pitching staff that has been plagued by injuries in the last few years.
Giolito also matches up with the Orioles' financial priorities. Despite the transition to new ownership, Baltimore hasn't yet pulled out all the stops for a top-tier free agent. Giolito posted a great rebound season with the Red Sox, but he doesn't land among the elite arms on the market this offseason, such as Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease or Ranger Suárez.
Bleacher Report names Orioles a fit for former Red Sox pitcher, free agent Lucas Giolito
Giolito would be a solid middle-rotation option for the O's after he re-established himself with Boston. He posted a 3.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 121 strikeouts and 46 walks over 145 frames with the Sox. He didn't appear during their brief playoff run due to a freak elbow ailment that dissipated within days — Giolito attests that he entered free agency with no internal damage and no pain, minimizing any risk that could come with signing him.
The Red Sox also eliminated some risk for other teams by declining to extend him a qualifying offer. Any team that signs a player with a qualifying offer attached will lose "one or more" draft picks in the next draft, per MLB's rules. This often has an adverse effect on the market of players that receive qualifying offers, as teams are reluctant to sacrifice draft picks.
Boston was smart not to give Giolito the qualifying offer. The $22-plus million he would've been paid (had he accepted) would have unnecessarily limited the Sox's free agent spending, and they already have more than enough pitching to get by. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has mentioned that he's shooting to improve the rotation, and reuniting with Giolito isn't an improvement on last year.
It would be unfortunate to see Baltimore or New York reap the benefits of the Red Sox's work with Giolito, but he deserves a fresh start with a new team. Boston fans will hope its one of the 25 teams outside of the AL East.