And that one is right-hander Lucas Giolito, who’s arguably the best remaining MLB free agent, position player or pitcher. Coming off a season that saw Giolito post a plausible 3.41 ERA in 26 regular-season starts for the Boston Red Sox, the 31-year-old could be a plug-and-play starter for numerous MLB teams.
With that in mind, here are the three best MLB free agent fits for Giolito.
Lucas Giolito was tied with Shane Bieber for the most complete games in MLB in 2019 with three. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
The Athletics need pitching aid across the board, and Giolito would immediately become their ace.
Last season, the A’s starting rotation was 27th in MLB in ERA (4.85), 25th in opponent batting average (.257) and tied for 23rd in WHIP (1.34). Meanwhile, Giolito is coming off a reputable, bounce-back campaign, which came after he missed 2024 due to elbow surgery and posted a combined 4.89 ERA from 2022-23.
Giolito can post strikeouts at a high clip, work out of trouble and has proven himself to be a middle-to-top-of-the-rotation starter. It’s all about his health. What’s more, the A’s have been unable to develop any rotation linchpins of late, while veteran Luis Severino had a rough first season with the team in 2025 (4.54 ERA in 29 starts). The A’s have a tantalizing positional core (Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson and Shea Langeliers, among many others) reminiscent of the one that the Baltimore Orioles established in 2023, but if they don’t assemble a mere middle-of-the-pack rotation, that organizational strength will be wasted.
All that said, what could halt an Athletics’ pursuit of Giolito is them potentially feeling that he wouldn’t move the needle for their pitching staff in a substantial way, instead choosing to keep their rotation slots open for younger arms.
Lucas Giolito has pitched for five teams. (Photo by Joe Sullivan/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Great starting pitching is a Cleveland trademark, and while that unit is coming off a respectable season (the Guardians’ starting rotation recorded a 3.86 ERA in 2025, good for 10th in MLB), it would still benefit from a veteran enhancement (e.g., Giolito).
Gavin Williams has blossomed into a legitimate, top-of-the-rotation starter; Tanner Bibee has proved himself capable of being a stiff force; Logan Allen has held his own. At the same time, Cleveland’s rotation was second in innings pitched last season (888.0). Having a veteran arm like Giolito in the mix would add another pitcher who can provide length.
Giolito, who relies on his four-seamer while mixing in a slider and changeup, was an All-Star with the Chicago White Sox in 2019 and recorded a combined 3.47 ERA from 2019-21. He actually briefly pitched for the Guardians down the stretch of the 2023 season. The 2025 season saw Giolito find success while pitching to his strengths and, given the Guardians’ track record of developing pitchers, maybe the right-hander builds on his success in Boston in Cleveland?
Giolito would be a compelling addition for Cleveland. The reason the Guardians aren’t No. 1 on the list of fits for Giolito, though, is that they may feel two of Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo, Ben Lively and Parker Messick have sizable room for growth and could fill out their 2026 rotation.
Lucas Giolito has totaled 200-plus strikeouts in three seasons. (Photo by Matt Dirksen/Getty Images)
Simply put: the Padres could use another arm, and Giolito would be part of their 2026 starting rotation.
The Padres have experienced a chaotic year with their starting staff. Joe Musgrove missed 2025 due to Tommy John surgery; Michael King missed substantial time due to a shoulder injury; San Diego’s rotation finished the 2025 season 16th in ERA (4.07) and tied for 14th in WHIP (1.25); then, Dylan Cease signed a $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, and now, Yu Darvish will miss 2026 due to a UCL tear.
On the bright side, Nick Pivetta had a breakout season in 2025 (career-best 2.87 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 190 strikeouts in 31 starts) and Randy Vasquez continues to make strides. Working under the expectation that Musgrove makes a full recovery, Giolito would finalize San Diego’s 2026 rotation. He would give them a starting pitcher who would be part of the starting staff for the bulk of contending teams in the sport. While many have speculated that star closer Mason Miller could, in time, move into San Diego’s rotation, adding a proven commodity in Giolito takes any pressure off new manager Craig Stammen to make that switch and/or have the recently signed Griffin Canning or German Marquez open the year in the rotation.
The Padres figure to remain in the National League pennant mix, but, when it comes to their starting staff, particularly the health of that unit, the more, the merrier. Giolito would give them a tangible boost.
