Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
As the new MLB season draws closer and closer, we have seen more players signing smaller deals to simply have a team for 2026. For a while, there were some All-Star-level guys still on the open market, and while most of them have signed, there are still some players who can make a massive difference to a team.
One of those is veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito, who remains unsigned at this point in the offseason. Despite Giolito proving himself last season with the Boston Red Sox, the right-hander is still searching for his next landing spot.
Injuries have completely defined the career of Giolito over the last few years, but when he is healthy, he remains one of the more effective guys on the mound. Giolito missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, but the Red Sox gave him a contract anyway, banking that he would return to form in 2025.
In 26 games for Boston this season, Giolito posted an ERA of 3.41 for the year, while also putting up a WHIP of 1.29. Things didn’t start out smoothly for the right-hander, however, as his first six starts were shaky, and he put up an ERA of 4.78.
But once he shook off the rust from being out for so long, Giolito posted an ERA of 3.03 over his final starts, pitching in 113 innings for the team. Any team interested in Giolito will likely look to his bounce-back year, but there were some concerns as well.
Not only did Giolito suffer another injury down the stretch of the season, but his walk rate did increase. Most teams believe they can work with pitchers on things like this, so Giolito could be a perfect “buy-low” candidate for teams this season.
Giolito can bolster a rotation and give it more depth for the year, offering a reliable arm to the staff if he is healthy. The right-hander could latch on with a team for one-year, to then re-enter free agency next offseason, hoping to land a larger free agent contract if he performs well.
We see players bet on themselves lal the time, and due to his injury concerns over the last couple of years, Giolito may need to do so. There have been a few teams interested in signing him already, but nothing has materialized fully, at least not yet.
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Lucas Giolito Lands With Atlanta Braves
One team that could use Giolito this season is the Atlanta Braves, who still need to bolster the starting rotation for the year. Atlanta missed the playoffs last season, with the inconsistency of the pitching staff being a main reason for the struggles.
While Giolito won’t solve all the problems of the Braves, he could give them a nice backend starter for the year. Giolito can help eat innings throughout the long regular season, helping to put Atlanta into a position of contention in the National League East.
The Braves have been fairly active in trying to add starters this offseason, but they’ve missed on a few of late. However, Giolito could be exactly what this team needs for the season.
With him likely only signing a one-year deal, this could be a perfect low-risk, potentially high-reward move for the Braves to make. Overall, Giolito is the best starting pitcher still available, and Atlanta should be looking to bring him into the mix.
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