Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and the Boston Red Sox organization denied their respective ends of the mutual option on his contract on November 3. Their relationship did not immediately end, though, as Boston still had the right to extend Giolito the qualifying offer (QO).
MLB insider Jeff Passan reported that 13 players received QOs from their teams. Giolito was not one of them. Multiple local sources quickly confirmed that Boston did not extend Giolito the QO.
Teams can extend a QO to impending free agents who have never received one in their career to bring them back on a one-year deal on the average yearly salary of the 125 highest paid players in MLB. This year, the figure is $22.05 million. If the player accepts the QO, their club forfeits a draft pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. If the player declines, their former club is awarded a compensatory draft pick.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was praised last season for offering the QO to then-impending free agent, Nick Pivetta. He declined, as reports suggested his market was more robust than expected. The Red Sox drafted infielder Henry Godbout, their No. 19 prospect, with their draft pick from the Pivetta QO.
Red Sox make the right call, don't extend Lucas Giolito the qualifying offer
Boston may have declined to give Giolito the QO for multiple reasons. The veteran couldn't participate in the Sox's brief World Series chase as he injured his elbow in the final weeks of the season. After he underwent the internal brace procedure in 2024 and was sidelined for the entire first year of his Red Sox contract, the club may think his risk of another injury is too high to risk a draft pick on.
Offseason rumors suggest that Boston hopes to bolster its rotation with top talent this winter. It already has so much depth that, with a new addition, Giolito won't be necessary to field a full rotation. Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Kyle Harrison, and maybe even top prospects Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, David Sandlin and Luis Perales could all be up for rotation spots in 2026, not counting a potential new addition. Simply put, the Red Sox don't need Giolito.
The righty should have no problem finding a new club on the market this winter, especially since interested teams won't have to sacrifice a draft pick to bring him in. Giolito clocked a 3.41 ERA with 121 strikeouts and 56 walks over 145 innings with Boston in an overall great rebound season for the multiple-time former Cy Young Award contender.
Giolito served the Red Sox well as a No. 2 starter behind Crochet, and his veteran leadership will be missed in the clubhouse. But the risk was too great for Boston to extend him the QO while it already has a pitching surplus that it only expects to grow.