Red Sox don’t give Lucas Giolito qualifying offer as he hits free agency

Lucas Giolito is hitting free agency with a bit of a surprise.

The right-hander, who had already declined his mutual option with the Red Sox, was not given a $22.025 million qualifying offer by the team before Thursday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline, according to the Boston Globe.

That means any team that signs Giolito will not lose either a draft pick and/or international bonus pool money as they would had he been offered and rejected a qualifying offer. Boston will also not receive any draft pick compensation if he does sign with another team.

Giolito, an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019, missed all of 2024 with an elbow injury that required surgery but came back in 2025 with mostly positive returns. He posted a 3.45 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 145 innings, helping the Red Sox reach the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

The 31-year-old right-hander held an ERA nearing 5.00 at the end of May, but turned a corner in the summer. From June on, he never posted an ERA above 3.66 in any single month.

The Athletic projects that Giolito will get a three-year deal worth $57 million this offseason. He joins a group of starting pitchers in free agency that already includes Dylan Cease, Michael King, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez.

Boston’s top of the rotation is set with ace Garrett Crochet and Bryan Bello likely taking the No. 2 or 3 spot, depending on what the Red Sox do in free agency or in the trade market.