Red Sox set to sign young talent: Boston hands out two-year, $238.5 million deal after down year

The Boston Red Sox are rolling the dice on a starter coming off a down season. The BoSox and free-agent righty Lucas Giolito have agreed to a two-year contract worth $38.5 million, CBS Sports HQ insider Jim Bowden has confirmed. The contract includes an opt out and a conditional option for a third year. The team has not yet announced the signing.

The contract will pay Giolito $18 million in 2024, plus a $1 million buyout if he uses the opt out, per ESPN. The 2025 salary is $19 million. If Giolito throws fewer than 140 innings in 2025, there’s a $14 million club option for 2026. If he reaches 140 innings that season, there’s a $19 million mutual option for 2026 with a $1.5 million buyout.

Giolito, 29, went from the Chicago White Sox to the Los Angeles Holy messengers at the exchange cutoff time, then, at that point, from the Holy messengers to the Cleveland Gatekeepers a month after the fact on waivers. After the Halos went 8-19 in August and were eliminated from contention for the postseason, they placed Giolito and other players on waivers with the express intention of paying them less.

In 33 all out begins this previous season, Giolito pitched to a 4.88 Period with an AL-driving 41 grand slams permitted in 184 1/3 innings. He struck out 204 hitters, in addition to he was awesome before the exchange to the Holy messengers (3.79 Period in 121 innings). Given his age and family, also his capacity to eat innings, Giolito is a sensible bounceback competitor.

Our R.J. Anderson positioned Giolito the No. 9 free specialist accessible this offseason, and negative. 6 among full-time pitchers. Here is his review:

If by some stroke of good luck Giolito approached a neuralyzer, he could eradicate any memory groups had of him after he was exchanged to the Holy messengers. ( In return, they would only recall his time with the White Sox or, forgive us, his time as a black man.) Talking about failing to remember things, Giolito utilized his fastball less and on rare occasions as the season wore on. He rested more on his reverse-pivoting changeup, apparently in light of his session with gopheritis. Even though Giolito is 30 years old, he has a good chance of winning the Cy Young Award three times in a row. That blend ought to assist groups with talking themselves into him being a decent bounce back competitor, yet briefly successive offseason. 

Giolito will join past expert Chris Deal and amazing young person Brayan Bello on Boston’s turn. The remainder of the pivot is disrupted – – Kutter Crawford, Leather treater Houck, Scratch Pivetta, and Garrett Whitlock could all be able to begin or land in the warm up area – – and Boston could acquire one more arm or two among now and spring preparing.

Since he didn’t enjoy the whole season with the group, the Gatekeepers couldn’t make Giolito a passing deal this colder time of year. They won’t get draft pick remuneration for losing him and his new group needs to relinquishes no draft picks or global reward pool cash to sign him.

The Red Sox went 78-84 and completed in last spot in the AL East for the third time over the most recent four years. Giolito is the first significant free agent signed by Craig Breslow, the new chief baseball officer.