Red Sox free agent pitching target might be off table after recent comments

Even though he didn't pitch an inning for the Boston Red Sox in 2024, Lucas Giolito affords his team a few lucky free agent connections.

The California native was a high school baseball teammate with free agents Max Fried and Jack Flaherty. The three hurlers have supported each other during milestone moments of their careers —Flaherty and Giolito attended one of Fried's starts during the Braves' 2021 path to the World Series, and Giolito and Fried did the same for Flaherty as he pitched for the Dodgers this year.

Giolito told reporters he began recruiting Fried to Boston soon after the Braves' Wild Card elimination, and many Sox fans hoped he'd do the same for Flaherty, as their rotation can do with a good amount of help. But convincing Flaherty to sign with Boston may not be easy based on his comments from the Dodgers World Series parade.

"This is unbelievable. I love this city, I never want to leave," Flaherty told reporters on the parade route.

Red Sox pitching target Jack Flaherty 'never' wants to pitch outside Los Angeles after Dodgers World Series win

Flaherty posted a 3.17 ERA over 162 innings between the Tigers and Dodgers this year. He also clocked 194 strikeouts, good for a 90th percentile strikeout rate, and a 1.07 WHIP. The 29-year-old would be a great addition to the top of Boston's rotation, but it sounds like it'll take a lot of convincing to get him to leave Los Angeles.

Luckily for the Sox, there are still plenty of other No. 1 or front-of-the-rotation arms available, including Fried, Corbin Burnes and more. Boston also has plenty of quality talent in its prospect pool to trade for an ace, if needed.

The Dodgers may not show interest in signing Flaherty next season, though. They expect to have Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in their rotation next year, and they may want to add a lefty to balance their staff. If Los Angeles doesn't go for Flaherty, Boston could be a solid backup option due to his connection to Giolito.

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