Bold take: Lucas Giolito’s career arc shows real potential still exists, even after his Boston chapter fizzled. He walked away from the Red Sox mutual option in early November, effectively ending that stint. While injuries clouded his time in Boston, he finished 2025 on a note that could spark renewed interest from other teams. The Red Sox, flush with young pitching talent, judged it wiser to move on and didn’t pursue a re-signing.
Yet Giolito isn’t a finished pitcher. He could still contribute meaningful value to a new organization.
Recently, Zachary D. Rymer proposed the San Francisco Giants as the most logical landing spot for Giolito in free agency. The idea of Giolito reuniting with Rafael Devers, now in San Francisco, makes for an amusing and compelling what-if for Red Sox fans.
Rymer highlighted Giolito’s 2025 bounce-back as evidence of upside, noting that his expected ERA was around 5.00 and that he might have surrendered more home runs than the surface stats suggest. He pointed out that Giolito didn’t miss many bats, and both his ground-ball rate and exit velocity were below league average, implying a tendency to allow hard-hit balls. In that context, Oakland– er, Oracle Park in San Francisco— stands out as an especially favorable environment, per Statcast, ranking among the best venues for home-run suppression outside of a few select parks. The park likens well to Giolito’s fly-ball profile, giving him a helpful defensive backdrop.
Rymer also argued that the Giants could use a solid No. 3 starter to slot behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, a role Giolito fits well.
In 2025 with Boston, Giolito appeared in 26 games (all starts), finishing 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and 145 innings pitched. He struck out 121 hitters. Since debuting with the Washington Nationals in 2016, Giolito has appeared in 206 MLB games across five teams, compiling a 71-66 record, 4.30 ERA, and 1,198 strikeouts in 1,158 2/3 innings. His career peak included All-Star selections in 2019 and 2021 with the White Sox and a no-hitter in 2020.
Author: Colin Keane is a NESN contributor with a background in English from Villanova, and business minor. He covers multiple leagues and has written for outlets including OnSI and FanSided.
