Jon Heyman of the New York Post is reporting that the Yankees like Lucas Giolito, a free agent starter who spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox.
The right-hander did not receive the Qualifying Offer for 2026, meaning the team would not have to forfeit draft picks in order to sign him this winter.
Across 26 starts for the Red Sox, Giolito had a 3.41 ERA and 4.17 FIP, striking out 121 batters in 145 innings as he helped stabilize the middle of Boston’s rotation during the year.
Underlying data suggests that Giolito is more of a backend starter than a top 2-3 guy for a rotation, but his ability to eat innings and pitch deep into games could make him an attractive option for multiple teams on the market.
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The right-hander relies on the same three pitches he did during his peak with the White Sox from 2019-2021, but the stuff has declined after Tommy John Surgery in 2024.
His four-seam fastball headlined his three-pitch mix, using it 48.4% of the time with a 16% Whiff% and .389 SLG% allowed, but the .512 xSLG% indicated some unsustainably good luck.
What allows Giolito to be so deceptive is his four-seamer’s vertical movement, which sets up his changeup and slider that have good depth at the bottom of the zone.
Both of his non-fastballs have good whiff ratesand results, which is what teams on the market could monitor as indications that he can improve the swing-and-miss numbers.
Giolito dealt with elbow issues down the stretch, but he has fully recovered from the injury that knocked him out for the Wild Card Round against the Yankees.
His walk rate would inflate down the stretch, which could be tied to the aforementioned elbow issue which he was pitching through at the time.
Without the Qualifying Offer, it would be hard to imagine that Giolito could demand big money and get it on this market, but teams could view him as a middle-of-the-rotation innings eater.
For the Yankees, their offseason plan could be centered around adding a starter who profiles as more of a no. 3-4 starter in the scenario where Tatsuya Imai signs elsewhere.
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