Red Sox reportedly linked to former All-Star, veteran righty

The 2023 Red Sox had just one pitcher surpass 150 innings of work.

Seth Lugo made the most of his lone season with the Padres in 2023. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)

December 5, 2023

2 minutes to read

Most of the whispers surrounding Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’ offseason plans have revolved around top free-agent pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, or Jordan Montgomery.

But if Boston wants to climb its way out of the basement of the AL East, it will have to bolster its rotation with several quality starters this winter.

And based on several reports out of the 2023 Winter Meetings, it seems like Breslow and his staff are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to intriguing arms across MLB.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Red Sox are one of four teams that have interest in former All-Star pitcher Lucas Giolito — with the 29-year-old righty also attracting attention from the Mets, Diamondbacks and Royals.

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo tweeted later on Tuesday evening that the Red Sox are “in on” Giolito, adding that the veteran starter was “someone who was discussed frequently in internal organizational discussions over the summer.”

An All-Star in 2019, Giolio pitched for the White Sox, Angels and Guardians in 2023. He went 8-15 with a 4.88 ERA, striking out 204 batters over 184.1 innings of work.

The 6-foot-6 righty has regressed from his prime seasons with the White Sox from 2019-21 — when he went 29-21 with a 3.47 ERA and 526 strikeouts over 427.2 innings of work.

But after a 2023 season where the Red Sox had just one pitcher who logged over 150 innings of work (Brayan Bello, 157.0), Giolito could be a valuable asset thanks to his ability to eat up innings further down in the rotation.

Giolito made a league-high 33 starts in 2023, and has logged at least 170 innings of work in four of his last five 162-game seasons.

Another under-the-radar target that Boston is reportedly keeping tabs on is veteran Seth Lugo, a 34-year-old righty set to earn a pay raise after a strong season as a starter with the Padres.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Red Sox are “stepping up their efforts” on Lugo, with Heyman adding that four or five other teams — including the Braves — are interested in signing the righty.

A reliever for most of his seven-year stint with the Mets, Lugo made the most of his switch to starter in 2023 with the Padres. In 26 games, Lugo went 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA — striking out 140 batters over 146.1 innings of work before opting out of his deal with San Diego.