Starting pitcher and the Boston Red Sox both declined their sides of a mutual option on his contract on November 3, officially making him a free agent. However, that didn’t immediately end his connection to the club, as Boston still had the option to extend him a qualifying offer (QO).
According to MLB insider Jeff Passan, 13 players around the league received qualifying offers — top star was not one of them. Several Boston-based outlets quickly confirmed that the Red Sox chose not to extend him the $22.05 million one-year offer.
A qualifying offer can be extended to free agents who haven’t previously received one, giving their former team a chance to retain them on a one-year deal worth the average salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players. If the player accepts, they return for that salary; if they decline, their former team gains a compensatory draft pick.
Last year, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow earned praise for extending the QO to Nick Pivetta, who ultimately declined it after generating a stronger market elsewhere. Boston later used the compensatory pick to draft infielder Henry Godbout, now the organization’s No. 19 prospect.
Boston’s decision to withhold the QO from Giolito likely came down to health and roster depth. The veteran right-hander missed the team’s postseason run after suffering an elbow injury late in the season. Having already undergone an internal brace procedure in 2024 and missed that entire season, the Red Sox may have deemed the risk of another setback too high to justify the cost or the potential loss of a draft pick.
The team is also expected to aggressively pursue top-tier pitching talent this winter, and its current rotation depth makes Giolito expendable. Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Kyle Harrison, and promising prospects such as Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, David Sandlin, and Luis Perales could all compete for rotation spots in 2026 — even before any new additions arrive. Simply put, Boston’s rotation is already loaded.
Giolito should still attract plenty of interest on the open market, especially since teams won’t need to surrender a draft pick to sign him. He posted a 3.41 ERA with 121 strikeouts and 56 walks over 145 innings in 2025, a strong rebound performance for the former Cy Young contender.
While his steady presence and leadership as Boston’s No. 2 starter behind Crochet will be missed, the Red Sox made the pragmatic choice. With a deep and growing pool of pitching talent, extending a $22 million qualifying offer to an injury-prone veteran simply wasn’t worth the gamble.