Overview
- Boston declined the roughly $22 million qualifying offer, making Giolito an unrestricted free agent without draft-pick or international-bonus costs to suitors.
- Giolito said in interviews that he wants to remain in Boston and called his 2025 season there the most fun of his MLB career.
- Reporting indicates the Red Sox are not entertaining a one-year reunion at the qualifying-offer price point.
- Projection services, including Spotrac, expect multi-year bids near $60 million as teams balance his recent injuries with a 2025 line of 10-4, a 3.41 ERA, and 121 strikeouts in 145 innings.
- Analysts described the decision as puzzling given Boston’s rotation depth needs and concurrent questions at the corner infield spots.