Red Sox Decline To Give Qualifying Offer To Key Free Agent

The deadline to extend qualifying offers to free agents was on Thursday. The Boston Red Sox did not utilize the tool, which was seen as a possibility for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito.

Giolito will now become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team with no penalties. The 2026 qualifying offer was set at $22 million. Teams that sign a player who rejected a qualifying offer are penalized, while the player’s previous team receives a compensatory draft pick.

Giolito was solid for the Red Sox in 2025 but inconsistent. He started the season slowly, but posted a 2.89 ERA over 93 1/3 innings from June through August. He was a surprise absence from the Red Sox’s Wild Card roster after it was revealed he was dealing with an elbow injury. Late in the season, his velocity declined, and his effectiveness diminished.

The Red Sox have starting pitching depth in spades. Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello will headline the rotation, while several other pitchers will fight for spots in the rotation. Payton Tolle and Connelly Early stepped up late in the year, while Hunter Dobbins, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval and Richard Fitts will all return from injuries.

On top of in-house options, Craig Breslow will look to free agency and the trade market to acquire another front-line starter. Tarik Skubal and Joe Ryan headline the list of names who might be made available. Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez headline the free agent starting pitching class.

Free agency began on Thursday, though major signings don’t typically occur until later in the offseason.