Quality starting pitching is beneficial for every baseball team. You might be able to hide a weak bat in the lineup or use a subpar fielder as a designated hitter. But if the pitching isn’t up to snuff, things can go south in a hurry. While the Boston Red Sox have had plenty of success this century, they finished the 2023 season in last place in the AL East, the only team in the division to finish with a losing record.
The team thought it was bolstering its rotation by signing Lucas Giolito to a two-year, $38.5 million contract, potentially increasing to $58 million over three seasons. He was set to start on Opening Day and would serve as Boston’s ace throughout the year, though that dream was short-lived. Giolito reportedly has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) — which may require surgery — and a flexor strain in his right elbow.
If Giolito undergoes surgery, he will likely miss the entire 2024 season. He’s set to make $18 million this year, which, by all indications, the Red Sox will still owe.
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Boston dealt starting pitcher Chris Sale over the offseason, who missed quite a bit of time with a myriad of maladies. This season hasn’t even started, and the injury bug is viciously attacking the team once again.
Giolito was one of just three free agents the Red Sox signed in the offseason; his contract makes up the majority of the team’s $49.5 million winter spending. One of the other players was reliever Liam Hendriks, who will miss most (and possibly all) of the 2024 season while he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Two months after the Washington Nationals drafted him at No. 16 in the 2012 draft, Giolito underwent Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox don’t know if he’ll need that extensive surgery again or if he can undergo a different procedure with a faster recovery time, though he’d still be sidelined for months. Another option is to try and rehabilitate the injury, though if the damage is still lingering, Giolito could miss time in 2025, too.
Giolito was one of the strongest pitchers in the league for the Chicago White Sox from 2019 through 2021. However, he’s been inconsistent over the past two years. He even made a dubious bit of history in 2023 by becoming the first pitcher since 1899 to give up eight runs in a game for three different teams. It looks like 2024 will be a disappointment, too.
This is a frustrating development for an already frustrated team. We’ll see if the Red Sox open their wallets to bring in a replacement for their No. 1 guy.