So far, it’s been a quiet offseason for the San Francisco Giants. There are multiple needs that they have, from pitching to lineup depth. One area where they continue to look for additions is with their starting pitching.
They have Logan Webb and Robbie Ray at the top of their rotation for first-year manager Tony Vitello. They need to add a No. 3 and a veteran arm. The options are dwindling. Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros and Michael King of the San Diego Padres remain the two biggest arms in free agency. Both are being linked to East Coast teams.
There is one option that San Francisco has been linked to is Boston Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito. Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the Giants are not chasing most of the higher-priced arms.
“The Giants have been repeatedly linked to Tatsuyi Imai, the premier free agent pitcher from Japan. But a lot of their market pitching inquiries have been for more modestly priced arms — a strong indication they aren’t chasing the highest priced pitchers, like Imai,” Olney wrote.
Giants Again Predicted to Land Red Sox Free Agent Pitcher Lucas Giolito
Giolito is a pitcher that Boston is not intending to bring back, and Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that he’ll end up in the Bay Area with the Giants. The Red Sox did not give him a qualifying offer after the 2025 season.
“Lucas Giolito had a strong bounce-back season this year, but there was some good luck involved in it. He had an expected ERA of 5.00, and he should have given up more home runs,” Rymer wrote. “It doesn’t take much effort to make sense of these things. The righty didn’t strike out many batters, and both his ground-ball rate (39.5) and exit velocity (90.3 mph) were worse than average. Basically, he gave up a lot of hard-hit air balls.”
After missing the entire 2024 season, Giolito started 26 games for Boston and went 10-4. He had a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings, striking out 121 and walking 56. He also had a 2.1 WAR. Giolito missed the Red Sox’s American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees with an elbow injury. It turned out to be a big loss. Manager Alex Cora had to start youngster Connelly Early in the deciding Game 3.
Oracle Park Could Be the Perfect Park For Lucas Giolito
One issue Giolito had in 2025 was keeping the ball in the park. He allowed 17 home runs last season. However, as Rymer pointed out, Oracle Park could be good for him to pitch in.
“Hence, the Giants. And more specifically, Oracle Park. Statcast pegs it as the second-worst park for home run hitters in all of MLB, ahead of only PNC Park in Pittsburgh. It’s a good place for all pitchers to call home, but especially fly-ball types like Giolito. Further, the Giants need a good, solid No. 3 to place behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Giolito is exactly that type of pitcher,” Rymer wrote.
Giolito isn’t expected to break the bank in terms of a contract. He is expected to be ready for Spring Training despite his elbow issue in the AL Wild Card round. Most projections have him in the $30-40 million range, according to Rymer, on a multi-year deal. A two-year contract in the price range for San Francisco would be a perfect fit behind Webb and Ray. Giolito continues to be linked to the Giants. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire.
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