Lucas Giolito’s motivational comments on contract year will excite Red Sox fans
Lucas Giolito signed a two-year deal with the Boston Red Sox after two seasons of not pitching like himself.
Giolito posted a 4.89 ERA in 2022-23, and he played for three different teams in those two seasons. He hoped to bounce back with the Red Sox in 2024, but his rebound was derailed by a damaged UCL that needed season-ending surgery to repair.
The righty reached another contract year quickly after missing his entire first season in a Red Sox uniform. But Giolito isn’t focused on his next deal. On the Feb. 27 episode of the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, he told host Rob Bradford his focus for the 2025 season rests elsewhere.
“I could give a s–t about my contract year this year,” Giolito said. “At this point, looking around the room and looking around the clubhouse, seeing the talent, seeing how well we’re meshing together, I’m, like, thinking playoffs and beyond. That’s the focus.”
Impending free agent Lucas Giolito focused on Red Sox making the playoffs instead of his next contract
Giolito also mentioned how focusing on his impending free agency in 2023 negatively affected his pitching that year. It shows in his results — he clocked a 4.88 ERA over 184.1 innings, and was even put on waivers by the Angels.
Reports of good chemistry in Boston’s clubhouse are reassuring, especially after the third base position battle took over the internet for a few days. Every team says its focus is on making the playoffs, but after the Red Sox’s first big-market offseason in a while, making it to the postseason actually feels like a possibility.
Part of the newfound optimism in the Sox’s clubhouse comes from the revamped rotation. The additions of Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and eventually Patrick Sandoval, along with Giolito’s impending return to action, could give the Red Sox one of their best rotations in a while if Giolito’s rebound goes according to plan.
