After the New York Mets lost out on free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the team has had to return to the drawing board to form this 2024 team, especially in the starting pitching rotation. There are still a lot of pitchers on the market, but with Yamamoto signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, reports say the Mets will look to some guys in the one or two-year deal range.
One of those pitchers is free agent Lucas Giolito, whom the Mets reportedly had interest in. However, Giolito has decided on his new home for 2024, and it isn’t in Queens.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the right-hander has signed a two-year, $38.5 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, with an opt-out after the 2024 season. Over the last couple of years and a trip around the league in 2023, Giolito has been a far cry from his 2019-2021 range. With the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and Los Angeles Angels over the last two years, Giolito has pitched to a 4.90 ERA and a 4.88 ERA. He had a 6.89 ERA in Los Angeles and a 7.04 ERA in Cleveland last year. During this tenure with three different ballclubs, Giolito allowed 41 home runs, the most in his career.
Giolito will join a Red Sox staff of Chris Sale, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Tanner Houck.
As for the Mets, Giolito is another player they have lost out on and still haven’t made a significant boost to the top part of the starting rotation alongside Kodai Senga. They have added depth pieces in Luis Severino and Adrian Houser.
Names such as Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are still available, but the Mets are reportedly looking at short-term deals aside from their bid for Yamamoto. With Giolito and Yamamoto now off the board, and unless the Mets want to bid for Snell or Montgomery, pitchers such as Sean Manaea, Corey Kluber, Frankie Montas, and Hyun Jin Ryu are available if David Stearns chooses to.
Main Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
