Lucas Giolito Is Trying To Recruit Max Fried To Boston

Lucas Giolito Is Trying To Recruit Max Fried To Boston

The Red Sox need starting pitching and one name they could consider this offseason is Max Fried. The Braves left-handed starter will hit the open market this Winter. It turns out Boston may have the upper hand in the recruiting battle with Lucas Giolito on their side.

Giolito claims he’s already put in word with Fried about signing with Boston.

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“You think I haven’t already talked to him about it?” Giolito in response when asked about Fried signing with Boston.

“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 – which were legitimate conversations we would have when we were 17,” Giolito said. “So, this is the shot to make it a reality right here.”

“Obviously, I think he would fit in great,” Giolito said. “Obviously, I think the need is there. You look at the starting pitcher depth chart and you don’t see a lot of ‘LHP’ and, in my opinion, he’s the best, most consistent starting pitcher. So, I think it’s a good fit. Obviously, I’m a little biased.”

“Here’s the deal. Max is going to have a lot of teams interested in him. Let’s be real. There is going to be a lot of money thrown around. It’s going to be very interesting how that plays out. Do I hope the Red Sox end up being the best fit and the best choice from different angles? Of course. But that’s going to be up to him at the end of the day.”

Three Opening Day Starters Emerge From One California High School

Let’s have a quick chat about a few additional things that need to be covered.

A: Giolito hasn’t pitched a single inning for Boston after getting hurt in Spring Training. The elephant in the room here is that Giolito might not be on the roster beyond the 2025 MLB Season if he doesn’t perform. It still remains to be seen if he can actually pitch at Fenway Park.

B: Giolito is right about one thing. Fried will have plenty of suitors and will have a qualifying offer attached to him in free agency. He also feels like one of the safest bets on the market in an era where throwing big dollars to pitching feels risky. Fried, 30, threw 174 1/3 innings and sported a 3.25 ERA this past season. He finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 2022. More than anything, it’s hard to find a lefty as reliable as Fried as been. He fits every rotation based on that fact that he’s a lefty.

C: Giolito is right about another thing. He can recruit all he wants but if Red Sox ownership remains cheap, they won’t land him. Just like they didn’t land Teoscar Hernandez when they cheaped out there. Fried feels like a great fit for Boston but it won’t matter if ownership doesn’t start ponying up.

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