The Boston Red Sox will enter this offseason with a few clear needs, a ton of money to spend and players/prospects to trade to turn their roster into a contender for 2025 and beyond.
Arguably their biggest need this offseason will be top-end starting pitching with Nick Pivetta hitting the market and Garrett Whitlock likely moving back to the bullpen.
Boston will surely target Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried, who's set to hit free agency for the first time in his career, and Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito already has a plan to entice the free agent to join him.
"You think I haven't already talked to him about it," Giolito told Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "I'll say, 'We played high school ball together, and we always talked about how cool it would be if we were on the same team in the big leagues. Legitimate conversations when we were 17. So, this is the shot to make it a reality right here.'"
Fried and Giolito both attended Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty (who is also set to hit the market this offseason) was also on the team with them.
Giolito missed the entire 2024 season due to an elbow injury he suffered before the year even began while Fried put up one of his best seasons yet, posting a 3.25 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings in 29 starts.
"Obviously, I think he would fit in great. Obviously, I think that the need is there," Giolito said. "You look at the starting pitcher depth chart, you don't see a lot of LHPs. In my opinion, he's the best, most consistent left-handed starting pitcher. I think it's a good fit. Obviously, I'm a little biased."
The 2024 All-Star could slide in near the top of the rotation alongside his high school teammate, allowing Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello to bump down No. 3 and 4, respectively.
If Boston didn't sign anyone else, that last spot could be up for grabs between the best of Cooper Criswell, Kutter Crawford, Richard Fitts and Quinn Priester.
That rotation would already feel a lot better than what the Red Sox had in 2024, despite the fact that they surpassed expectations.
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