Let’s go back one year. Before the Juan Soto hoopla, the desire to reunite with Sean Manaea, and all of the other things we wanted them to do this winter, the New York Mets were a team searching for short-term risks and nothing else. Lucas Giolito was one of the choices. Some extremely excellent seasons in recent years, followed by a couple of poor seasons in 2022 and 2023, appeared to fit a familiar story of what the Mets were creating.
There have been numerous rumors regarding the Mets’ pursuit of him (they did not produce a documentary about it, by the way), and Giolito would end up with the Boston Red Sox, who can’t seem to do anything other than mimic the Mets. His deal included a $38.5 million guarantee, a base salary of $18 million last year, another $19 million this year, and several options for 2026, with the bare minimum being a $1.5 million buyout.
The math adds up. What doesn’t is Giolito’s work. It has been nothing but zeroes, and this will not change anytime soon.
Lucas Giolito is the dodged bullet you might have forgotten the Mets Matrixed away from
Giolito’s 2024 season was cut short by a UCL injury that progressed from pain to season-ending surgery in mid March. This happens. While less concerning, a hamstring ailment will put him on the injured list to start the season.
The Red Sox can see it two ways. The upside is that it is a new injury and hence not a major issue. The bad news: another section of his body appears to be breaking down.
Giolito had only one spring training appearance, lasting an inning and giving two earned runs while walking two. Red Sox fans haven’t got a chance to get too excited about him. Their biggest stories have been around a disgruntled star infielder who insists on playing a position where he is below-average defensively.
A look at the Red Sox roster reveals some of the same philosophical ideas as the Mets. They won the Walker Buehler sweepstakes. Alex Bregman eventually chose them on a short-term, high-AAV contract, which appears to be straight out of David Stearns’ playbook. Their bullpen contains Liam Hendriks and Michael Fulmer, who were both signed in February with the understanding that they were pieces for 2025, not 2024.
Last year, many of us thought Giolito could be a valuable addition to the Mets’ rotation. Initially viewed as a squandered opportunity, it has since proven to be an increasingly valuable calamity that the team was able to escape.
