Red Sox’ Lucas Giolito making sales pitch to free agent starter
The Red Sox have an in-house recruiter to help them land one of the top prized free agent starters on the market this winter.
In desperate need of an ace to lead their rotation, returning injured starter Lucas Giolito could be the link to lure Braves’ Max Fried to Boston.
Fried and Giolito are former high school teammates and friends; the righty is hoping that’ll help land him with the Red Sox.
“What, you think I haven’t already talked to him about it?” said Giolito on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “We played high school ball together, and we always talked about how cool it would be if we were on the same team in the big leagues. Legitimate conversations we would have when we were 17. So, this is the shot to make it a reality right here.”
The left-hander will be sought after this offseason but is one of the top options that could lead the Red Sox rotation. During his time with the Braves, he won a World Series, posted a 73-36 record with a 3.07 ERA.
Fried is 29 and threw 174 1/3 innings and owned a 3.25 ERA. The lefty is an innings eater, which Craig Breslow needs to add to his rotation for 2025 and beyond. In addition, he is a southpaw, which the Red Sox could benefit from having in their rotation.
Boston had left-handed starter James Paxton last season after acquiring him from the Dodgers. He is expected to retire and not be back with the Red Sox next season.
"Obviously, I think he would fit in great," Giolito said. "Obviously, I think the need is there. You look at the starting pitcher depth chart and you don’t see a lot of ‘LHP’ and, in my opinion, he’s the best, most consistent starting pitcher. So, I think it’s a good fit. Obviously, I’m a little biased."
The Braves will be in the mix to retain their lefty ace, and he has already told reporters he would like to continue to pitch for Atlanta.
“[Wearing the Braves uniform] means everything,” Fried said. “It's the organization that traded for me and gave me the opportunity to come to the big leagues and be an established big league player. I obviously don't know what's going to happen, but I have absolutely loved every minute of it and hope to have many more.”
Multiple other teams around the league, including the Dodgers, Phillies, and possibly the Orioles, will be looking to add the left-hander.
"Here’s the deal. Max is going to have a lot of teams interested in him. Let’s be real. There is going to be a lot of money thrown around. It’s going to be very interesting how that plays out. Do I hope the Red Sox end up being the best fit and the best choice from different angles? Of course. But that’s going to be up to him at the end of the day."
