Right-hander Lucas Giolito had a pretty good year with the Red Sox in 2025 but it ended on a frustrating note as he wasn’t included on Boston’s postseason roster due to an elbow injury. Even before the Sox were eliminated, manager Alex Cora said Giolito was most likely not going to be coming back this year. Today, Chris Cotillo of MassLive provided an update on the righty’s status. Giolito has been on a throwing program with one source telling Cotillo that Giolito is “100%” while another source said Giolito is “making improvements.”
Giolito’s status is noteworthy at this stage of the offseason as he is about to return to free agency. He originally signed with the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season, a two-year deal worth $38.5MM. Giolito had a chance to opt out of that deal after 2024 but he ended up missing that entire season due to UCL surgery, so he naturally decided to stay with Boston for the second season.
By foregoing that opt-out chance, he gave the Red Sox a $14MM club option for 2026. However, he could convert that to a $19MM mutual option by pitching 140 frames in 2025. He got to 145 frames this year, successfully converting it. Mutual options are almost never picked up by both sides, with the last instance being more than a decade ago at this point. As such, Giolito will almost certainly get the $1.5MM buyout instead.
There’s a long winter ahead but Giolito’s health in the near term is important. As pointed out by Cotillo, the Sox have until five days after the World Series to decide whether or not to issue Giolito a qualifying offer, which is a one-year deal worth $22.025MM. That’s roughly what the Sox have been paying Giolito annually on his two-year deal, so it’s not a huge spike.
However, there are reasons why the Sox may not feel comfortable with continuing to pay Giolito a salary in that range. The obvious one is the elbow. It has been previously reported that Giolito has no UCL damage but does have flexor irritation and a bone issue. If the Sox felt that injury could linger into 2026, then they may prefer to walk away.
The other issue is Giolito’s performance. The Sox initially bought low on him. He was a borderline ace a few years ago, earning Cy Young votes in three straight years from 2019 to 2021. But his ERA spiked to just under 5.00 in both 2022 and 2023. Even in those poor seasons, he struck out more than 25% of batters faced. That was a drop from his peak, when he was striking out around 33% of opponents, but it was still above average.
In 2025, Giolito managed to finish strong in the ERA department but without getting his strikeouts back. He had a solid 3.41 ERA for the year overall. He had a rough 6.42 ERA through seven starts but then an excellent 2.51 ERA over his final 19 starts. However, even in that latter sample, he was only punching out 20.3% of opponents. For reference, the average strikeout rate for a starting pitcher in 2025 was 21.8%. That figure is probably inflated a bit by the use of openers, but Giolito’s rate is still fairly middling.
The other issue is that the reward for making a QO may be lesser than in the past. The Sox got the 75th overall pick in the 2025 draft when Nick Pivetta rejected a QO and signed with the Padres last offseason, but that was after a year in which the Sox did not pay the competitive balance tax. Both RosterResource and Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimate that the Sox went slightly over the tax line in 2025. Those are unofficial estimates, but if they are accurate, then the QO compensation pick would fall to after the fourth round of the draft if Giolito were to reject a QO and sign elsewhere.
Giolito likely would have started a playoff game for the Sox if he were healthy. He and Brayan Bello were the most established options behind ace Garrett Crochet. Instead, Bello and rookie Connelly Early made starts alongside Crochet. Cotillo suggests the Sox are quite happy with Giolito, including as a veteran clubhouse leader. Even with some concerning numbers and the lesser benefit from making the QO, perhaps they will do it anyway if they would be happy for him to accept. Though even if they like Giolito, they may not want to tie up $22.025MM of their budget just as the offseason is beginning, especially if Giolito’s elbow is still an issue.
A bit of progress in the next few days could increase Boston’s willingness to issue the QO. It may also increase his willingness to turn it down and explore the market. Even if they do offer it, he gets a couple of weeks to talk to other teams and gauge his market before making his decision on the QO. His market with non-Boston teams will depend both upon his health and whether or not he is attached to a QO.
Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images
I wouldn’t take the risk with him. He had a nice season, but time to move on.
I understand Fever but you can never have enough pitching. Some are returning in 26 but not all are “established starters”. If he’s healthy, he’s unlikely to accept the QO so it comes down to the medical records and films. Given its one season should he accept, I’d offer it unless the doctors are really concerned.
dewey – I like him, but I can’t forget he signed with the Sox likely knowing he was on the verge of major surgery. There’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t do something similar again.
The Sox have so many SP’s right now ….. Dobbins, Harrison, Criswell, Fitts, Early, Tolle, Sandoval, Crawford, Bello, Crochet. I’m guessing/hoping they add one more solid SP this offseason, so that makes 11 which should be enough to contend barring an unusual amount of injuries.
Fever, that’s a lot of arms, but youre lacking the 1-2 punch to back up Crochet.
Im not sure Gio is *that guy* due to how he performed facing tougher lineups. Its really hard because he was coming off the long layoff and results are usually iffy that first season back compared to what is put up later.
But he generally had trouble all season with better hitting (at their time) clubs – TOR, TEX, ATL, CHC, PHI,SD, NYY all had their way with him for the most part. Even the Angels were able to tag him for 7 ER, and the As got 4 in 4 innings.
I’d defer to the team on the QO as long as it doesnt make or break their ability to get that second ace or very high #2 caliber arm.
GA: whether Giolito accepts the QO should not alter the sox plans to get a number 2. That being said I’d be fine with the sox offering it and him passing or taking it. No such thing as a bad one year contract.
He did not know he was injury while signing with BOS. He also passed all medical exams. The timing was horrible for BOS but it is what it is.
Isn’t avoiding that scenario the entire point of requiring a physical before a contract goes into effect?
FPG- I agree. Time to say goodbye, and thanks. Get a righty, real #2.
2025 was supposed to be the “bridge” year. So, we’ve crossed over now. Burn the bridge and get “full throttle” after a championship with this core group of youngsters.
FPG
I agree with you on Giolito. It’s time for the Sox to move on. The amount and severity of the injuries to his arm just makes him to big of a risk. He did have a nice stretch for the Sox ,but I cannot envision him being “that guy” that a team can count on in a big spot. We need a solid # 2 not another 4/5 like you said.
Dave Roberts pulling Sasaki in the 9 th inning probably saved the WS for the Dodgers.
@FPG – don’t forget:
Perales: possibly best stuff in the system and on 40-man but needs to work on command and staying healthy.
Drohan/Uberstine: injury stricken in the past but both looked very good in AAA at the end of 2025. Both need to be added to 40-man.
Winckowski: bit of a fringy guy who missed most of 2025 with an elbow injury, but has big league starting experience.
So that’s 15. Going to be a bit of a 40-man crunch and Winckowski/Criswell are out of options.
GaSox – Excellent analysis as always! I didn’t break down his performance by opponent, nice job.
So you are basically agreeing with me, not to re-sign him. The only difference is you’re willing to give him the QO whereas I’m not ;O)
rare – You’re putting far too much faith into physicals. Giolito obviously was on the cusp of serious injury when he signed with the Sox, he was pitching in only his second ST game when he finally reported elbow discomfort which led to an MRI revealing the torn UCL.
It’s been reported he did NOT have an MRI prior to signing with the Sox, as MRI’s are not requirements for signing free agent pitchers. And any type of imaging can be misread, it’s common for some results to be missed.
cdc – Yeah as you know I was very bullish on Gio this season, and I was fine with bringing him back based on his regular season performance …. but it would be foolish to do so now with this latest injury concern hanging over his head.
WC – Good points, I just didn’t want to get into the prospect pool too much as not many start a season in the majors.
I don’t think Winck is a viable option, I think he’s basically done as a starter with the Red Sox and like you said may be left unprotected in the Rule V.
@FPG – as a 40-man player Winckowski isn’t eligible for the rule 5 draft. He and Criswell are both candidates to be designated for assignment or traded.
Red Sox don’t need to make any moves (aside from Lowe DFA) until November 18th unless they sign a free agent in the interim.
WC – Yeah that’s what I meant, designated to be taken off the 40-man and then kept in the minors and therefore left unprotected.
I think the fact Winck saw only 11 innings in the majors this year (compared to 20 in AAA) despite all the pitcher injuries tells me that the Sox don’t rate him very highly right now ….. same as with Grissom.
@FPG – When a player like Winckowski is designated for assignment they first have to pass through waivers and can be claimed by any team without the stipulations which come with the rule-5 draft (principally having to remain in the majors) so there’s no risk of losing him in the rule-5 draft as any team wanting him would prefer to claim him off waivers.
I agree that the Red Sox don’t rate him particularly highly (he’s primarily a long-reliever) but the reason he had so little time in the majors is because the Red Sox were loaded on pitching early-on and once the injuries had hit, he was also injured and never came back. Given the nature of elbow injuries, I’m guessing that most teams will be scared-off from claiming him and he stands a solid chance of passing through waivers and being outrighted.
Fever – correct. Kind of like acell said above in response to me as well, a 1 year deal on a SP is fine…. just so long as it doesnt become the excuse behind not getting that legitimate #1/2 level guy to pair with Crochet.
For a team of Boston’s resources *it shouldnt* but we’ve seen all too often that ownership priorities in funding allocation have forced just tradeoffs before – down to the while baseball players are expensive and you cant expect to compete every year deals….
WC – You’re missing a key point. If he’s claimed on waivers, the claiming team MUST add him and keep him on their 40-man roster.
As I said, if Winck is first designated by the Sox and then kept he would be subject to the Rule V.
As for your belief that any team wanting him would prefer getting him on waivers instead of the Rule 5, picture this:
Winck gets designated tomorrow.
The Rule V is scheduled for Dec 10.
I think most teams would prefer not having to move another player off the 40-man to acquire Winck in November or early December. Waiting until the Rule V gives the acquiring team time to trade or release someone else.
I agree he will like pass through waivers, he had a pretty bad 2024 as well.
GaSox – If the Sox were owned by Mark Walter or Steve Cohen, then sure offer the QO.
But these are still the Red Sox owned by John Henry/FSG.
If they establish a budget, and they refuse to acquire a quality player at a much-needed position because they spent the $22M on Gio, I’d be pissed.
Also, what if the $22M causes the team to go over the CBT threshold for a second consecutive year which then causes them to go cheap in 2027?
You seem to agree with me in your last paragraph ;O)
Fever, I think youre being generous by calling it a 2/3 for much of the season… to be fair, he pitched as often like #4/5 as a #2.
Inconsistency was the name of his game. Look under the hood at Gios numbers compared to *mlb average* which should be your benchmark for a solid #3:
Gio: whip 1.290; 8.1H/9; 1.1HR/9; 3.5BB/9; 7.5K/9; 2.16 K/W. And he had an FIP of 4.17
MLB: whip 1.289; 8.4H/9; 1.2HR/9; 3.2BB/9; 8.5K/9; 2.64 K/W. And a league average era of 4.15.
So for every outing you remember being above average, there was one equally bad, to drag him down to, overall, a #3 level for the year. This wasn’t a case of numbers skewed by one or two real clunkers, he consistently underperformed against strong lineups, then padded his number to appear respectable against weak hitting teams. To be fair, he *did* also have a couple good games against good clubs, and, he also had some horrible games against horrible clubs. Big difference is, in a strikeout prone league, he gave up more than average walks, and fewer than average strikeouts. You combine that with his age and the nagging arm status, I dont really think attaching a #2 label is fair at this point. We cant even lump his clunkers together around an injury or at the start of the year as an excuse for returning from being away so long. Maybe he surprises. But at this point, id think you peg Gio as a middle of the rotation level arm (which the sox have plenty of already) who is going to give you a fair share of both over performances and underperformances. As a Fenway pitcher, those extra free passes look worse than they would in say, SF.
@FPG you are the one missing the point. The rule 5 draft in relation to Winckowski is a red herring as he would first have to be DFAd by the Red Sox, THEN go through waivers, and then be out-righted to AAA where a team would have the incredibly dumb option of drafting him in the rule 5 draft, which would require that they pay the Red Sox 100k, place him both on their 40-man and 26-man rosters while restricting that team from DFAing him in 2026 as he would first have to be offered back to the Red Sox for 50k. This is important as a team claiming him on waivers could slip him through waivers at a later point.
If a team claims him tomorrow, they could DFA him later and possibly get him through waivers before the Nov 13 rule-5 deadline or the Dec 10 draft, but once they draft him, they’re stuck.
40-man roster spots are at their lowest value immediately after the world series ends. As teams start protecting rule-5 picks and signing free agents the spots become more valuable. That’s why you’re unlikely to see a player like Winckowski DFAd over the next few days, but come Nov 13th that chance goes away up, because it becomes less likely another team would claim him.
Your scenario is not realistic.
GaSox – From June 5th until the end of the regular season he had a 2.51 ERA, he didn’t miss a start until the postseason, and he averaged 6 innings a game. In fact, his ERA during that time was the 5th-lowest of all qualified MLB pitchers! You’re talking Skenes, Rogers, Sanchez and Skubal. That’s #1 or #2 performance in every rotation.
In that stretch he dominated Seattle (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10K). and he dominated the Jays twice (11.7 IP, 9 H, 1 ER) and he dominated Houston (8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER).
I do see where he got roughed up against some other good teams such as Philly, Cubs and Padres.
He had one good game and one bad game against the Yanks.
If you’re referring to his pre-June 5th starts, sure he sucked …. but that was to be expected after not pitching since 2023.
So I still think if he were totally healthy next year he could return to 2019-2021 form and get Cy Young votes. I mean, why not? Why can’t he repeat what he did 4-6 years ago?
WCS – It seems like we are saying the same thing, just in different ways.
You ended by saying Winck’s chances of being DFA’d go way up Nov 13th. Which means he’d be unprotected from the Rule V. Which is what I’ve been saying, right?
I agree my “tomorrow” scenario is unlikely, I was just using tomorrow because it’s the first day he can be DFA’d ;O)
Sorry, rule 5 protection deadline is Nov 19th as stated in my previous post (not sure where the Nov 13 date came from).
For reference, non-tender deadline is Nov 21st.
@FPG – we are not. You seem to lack an understanding of how these processes work and will post over-and-over to cover up a slight ignorance while showing you know even less with each proceeding post. It’s tedious and a waste of my time. I’ll be blocking you going forward – don’t waste everyone else’s time though, it may not be worth anything to you, but it is worth something to them.
WCS – Np offense but you’ve proven you are incapable of paying attention to what I and others have written. You lack the social skills necessary to conduct a friendly conversation. You lack the integrity and politeness to acknowledge when others are right and you are too insecure to admit when you are wrong.
You don’t even understand when someone is being nice and polite by trying to avoid one of your childish pissing matches.
In summary, trying to have any type of friendly dialogue with you is pointless. To ensure you don’t respond to any more of my posts, and to ensure I don’t have to see any more of your posts, I’m muting you. Enjoy the offseason.
Fever. Again, I dont totally buy that context… (also, you pick June 5th as the cutoff, convenient as on June 4th Gio gave up 7ER in 1.2 IP to the angels 🙂 )
But let’s look at who some of his most dominant showings after that came against, and, where they ended the season:
TB – 6/10, 0ER on 6IP – finished 5th in AL East 77-85
SF – 6/22, 4R, 2ER, 6IP – and they were scuffling, limping to .500
WAS – 7/4, 1R/1ER, 7.2IP – finished 5th NL east 66-96
COL – 7/9, 0ER, 6IP – finished 5th NL west 43-119
MIN – 7/29, 1ER, 6IP – finished 4th AL central 70-92
MIA – 8/15, 1ER, 6.1IP – finished 3rd NL east 79-83
BAL – 8/26, 0ER, 8IP – finished 5th AL east 75-87
PIT – 8/31, 1ER, 6IP – finished 5th NL central 71-91
AZ – 9/4, 4R/2ER, 5IP – finished 4th NL west, 80-82
Thats alot of padding numbers against less than stellar opponents in that stretch, in which he gave up some clunkers to legit lineups too.
I think Gio’s numbers benefitted from luck of the draw putting him facing weaker teams. Or maybe there was some rotation management to align him to face them, not sure.
Its baseball, anything can happen, especially over 162 games. But alot of Gios best numbers came against some of the leagues worst lineups. That gives me doubt he miraculously rolls back the clock 6 years.
I stand by he’s likely a #3 in the near term, degrading to a 4/5 over the next few seasons, and in the short term as a #3, he’s going to put up as many 4/5 level performances as #2…
I’d rather sign Imei (sp) out of Japan
Yep this is the move
Have to take Fevers side on this. Gio’s strikeout % may have been down because of a missed season but now he’s on the cusp of another serious injury. I’d walk away too.
“one source telling Cotillo that Giolito is “100%” while another source said Giolito is “making improvements.”
Sounds like their sources are Boone and Cashman.
He is 100% making improvements.
The art of compromise at its finest.
Sounds like Boston’s decision will fall on the medical staff. What is the average salary for a number 4 starter? Is that figure lower than the Qualifying Offer?
If it’s not lower then it should be – I suspect it is due to a lot of pre-arb guys falling into the 4 / 5 spots on most rosters.
It’s not like you are intentionally signing a 4 at 22 mil for sure. A guy you signed as a 1/2 may end up down the rotation – I mean, even the Dodgers only pay 1 mil for Ohtani in the 4 spot right now!
Longtimecoming: No, the Dodgers pay Ohtani $2 million plus a lot of deferred money, which is real and counts toward luxury tax calculations.
The Dodgers pay $46M annually for Ohtani and all of it counts against the luxury tax. He is paid $2M annually as well as the $44M needed to fund that years deferred $ as required by the CBA.
He’s not a #4….He’s at least a #3 and in the 2nd half he was challenging Bello for #2. Boston could be set in the rotation if they re-sign Gio….
Crochet
Bello
Gio
Connelly
Harrison or Tolle
Unless the plan is to go after a 1/2 and move Bello down I think they should re-sign Gio. Sign Gio to a one-year deal then go after Skubal next off-season.
kingbum: With the way pitchers blow out their arms today, no team is set in the rotation no matter which or how many names you list.
King – look more closely at his 2nd half stats. Against good teams (playoff contenders) he wasn’t good. He had one good start against Houston at the end of July right before the trade deadline (IIRC). Otherwise he wasn’t great and was pulled early.
His overall numbers look ok but he wasn’t going deep in games, left in the middle of jams early, etc. Now maybe that’s due to the injury,but still.
Bello should realistically be the 3 next season. Trade for a guy, because none of the FA options are good, to fill that #2 spot.
I did some research yesterday and found that there have been MLB trades which were contingent on a player signing an extension – Sonny Gray to the Reds in 2019. I now have this idea in my head that the best off-season move is the Sox trading for Skubal contingent on him signing an extension.
Joemo: Trading for Skubal would be the best move for lots of teams. It’s not all about the Red Sox.
Boras is his agent. Signing before FA is not an option.
Styme – contrary to popular belief, Boras clients HAVE signed extensions before. Look no further than former Boston shortstop Xander.
And the trade would be contingent on the Sox extending him. Similar to the Gray deal I mentioned. The Reds had 72 hours to negotiate an extension.
Sox had no problem paying top dollar for Crochets extension. So just give Skubal like 8/350 and call it a day. Then the Sox have potentially the best 1-2 punch in the majors and develop the rest of their pitchers to round out the rest of the rotation cheaply.
Skubal
Crochet
Bello
Tolle/Early/Sandoval (not cheap but already on the books) / Fitts/Dobbins/Drohan/Uberstein/Witherspoon (more a 2027 option) etc …
Joemo: You present it like Skubal is a fait accompli. Are you unwilling or unable to believe that he might wind up on a different team?
Sonny Gray in 2019 and Tarik Skubal now are *vastly* different situations for both the trading team and the player.
Tigers are extremely unlikely to screw around with a trade offer for Skubal that’s contingent on an extension. If the Tigers want to trade away Skubal with 1 year of team control, they’ll have no shortage of eager bidders. The precedents are trades for players such as Tucker, Soto, and Betts when they respectively had 1 year of team control remaining.
bum – I agree Gio pitched like a #2/3 during much of the regular season, but this latest injury concern is just too big of a red flag.
I do think/hope the plan is to acquire a 1/2 this offseason. Having co-aces like Pedro/Schill would make the Sox a strong contender next season.
King: There is no way the Red Sox enter the regular season without a #2 pitcher that is currently on another team.
Aramis Ramirez was the last mutual option in 2015 with Milwaukee.
Elbow and shoulder discomfort makes me put my wallet away
And this coming from the guy who’s name is The Gambler. 😂
A $19M option pickup for Boston isn’t unreasonable, but I’m still inclined to think they’ll turn it down. Rare case where I think both sides could think about it.
For around $2m you roll the dice he declines and you get the QO pick. If youre fine with paying 19m, just pay the extra for a shot at a prospect.
1 year of Gio @ 19-21m is replaceable either on the open market or maybe even internally
It’s basically 3m difference that would the cost of rolling the dice to possibly get a 4th round pick.
It’s only worth it if they actually don’t mind him coming back. Otherwise that money goes a long ways to someone else you want.
Sounds like the kind of cat the Angels would overpay for but they already traded for him
And gave up way too much for 6 starts. But of course “way too much” for the Angels is anyone who can crack an MLB roster.
Edgar Quero seems to be pretty special
No qualifying offer but I’d keep tabs with him and see what his market shows. Maybe he has to settle for a 1yr prove-it deal? Then I would kick the tires.
If he is still around in February and we haven’t got a #2 that we are happy with then I’d bring Gio in for a discussion of 2yr deal but 2nd year based on reaching incentives. Gio was lights out back in July for about 7 straight starts which made him very valuable to our season.
He’s a playoff-caliber starter with strikeout stuff and it’s one year for ~$22m. Pay up. Giolito is a better bet than Pivetta was last year, and Pivetta turned out to be a brilliant QO offer. The real tragedy here is Boston going JUST over the luxury tax line— AGAIN. Dip under or go big!
While true the difference is health. Pivetta was healthy so a team like the padres paid him.
Think the risk is bigger with gio because of his health concerns. More so than his stuff.
Giolito didn’t have ‘strikeout stuff’ this season. His 19.7% K% ranked 58th of 82 pitchers with at least 140 IP while his below average 9.1% BB% was 67th – and inline with his career norms.
Unless the Red Sox are confident his stuff improves an extra year out from surgery, there’s not much reason to bring him back. They have guys with better stuff in AAA. Hopefully they look to upgrade their #2 spot as Bello still isn’t good enough despite solid surfacy numbers last year.
Don’t discount that Giolito was one of only 82 starters that threw 140 innings (your stat). That’s less than 3 per team. Cease is going to get more years and dollars but only averages 5.1/3 innings a start. Gio would only be a one year contract.
Ranger Suarez would be a good fit in Boston. With low velocity, and a few injuries, he won’t be super pricey. He’s younger than Giolito, better of late and has a ceiling of a number two.
2.51 ERA over last 19 starts earns him the QO. I’d sign him to that one year deal and just tell him if he’s injury free in 2026 you’d sign him long term. After knocking off the rust, he earned that money. We have depth options if it doesn’t work but he earned the opportunity to try in my view.
Move on. Go with the youngsters and invest that money on power hitters that make contact.
“…power hitters who make contact.”. Such as who?
If you get ryan or a definite number 2 he’s expendable
Ryan will cost a lot in player capital and the way his season ended, I’m not sure is better. Given the cost comparison, sign Gio for one year and use your assets for a bigger trade than Ryan.
Dewey- the time to “punt”, “bridge”, “build” or whatever verb you want to use to describe kicking the can down the road is over. This team has to take the next step in ’26 considering the uncertainty in ’27.
The days of preserving “Player capital” is over and its time to go full Dombrowski regardless of what John Henry’s wallet is saying. Practically any combination of top ten prospects + major league rosterable players Abreu, Eaton, Fitts, Criswell should be on the move for Alcantara or Peralta (you pick)
SS3
It’s time Damn the torpedoes…. I agree. Need that second big time pitcher. Ryan, Peralta,and Alcantara.
Skubal?
Monstah – Normally I would be with you, let’s shoot for the best players. Skubal is gonna go to free agency, and i’m reluctant to send out 4 prospects in the same way we did for Crochet (as he was always more likely to be extended).
Crochet is gonna be our horse for the next 4-5yrs. Let’s get that Schilling to go along with Pedro
RS have 5 days to decide whether to offer Gio the QO
Conflicting reports on his health.
If he’s healthy. He declines the QO
I like Gio. But plenty of fish in the sea as good or better without health question marks
Thanks Gio. Wish you well.
Albatross
We have a lot of 4-5 starting pitchers right now and a lot of young guys in the system. I would rather go after Cease as a #3 and got get a #2 in a trade. SIgn Alonso or Schwarber and call it an off-season.
@Idaho I agree Schwarber is definitely the bat to go after because he also walks a ton and gotten results at Fenway. I just don’t see a pitcher actually available that is better than Gio on a QO deal. Possibly you could package Harrison and Tolle for #2 under contract, or have them headline a deal for Skubal if Detroit feels like he’s gonna leave.