Lucas Giolito Says He Has 'No Desire' to Be Traded By Red Sox at 2025 MLB Deadline

The Boston Red Sox could be trade deadline sellers this season, but starting pitcher Lucas Giolito is hoping he isn't among the casualties.

Speaking to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo, Giolito reflected on the 2023 season when he changed teams twice, and noted that his preference is to remain in Boston rather than to go through the chaos of getting traded again:

"It was crazy. I had been in Chicago for so long that I didn't realize the impact it would have on me getting traded, being in a new place and having to quickly try and develop new relationships and all that kind of stuff. It wasn't that difficult, but my performance suffered, for sure. I was going through a lot during that period, so it was definitely a challenge, and I've learned a lot from it.

"My position on that now is this: Hopefully we can start to put more performances like we did [Monday] and win some series, win some games and get back into the race, because I have no desire to go through that again. I don't want to be traded. I really love it here. I want to help this team win games to the end. I'm really pulling for us here."

The Red Sox have struggled as of late, losing seven of their past nine games. As a result, they are fourth in the American League East with a 42-44 record, making them a strong candidate to be sellers if they don't improve by the July 31 trade deadline.

Giolito, who turns 31 on July 14, has been a bright spot for the Red Sox this season after missing the entire 2024 campaign due to an elbow injury. In 11 starts, the one-time All-Star is 4-1 with a 3.99 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 51 strikeouts over 58.2 innings.

Giolito began his MLB career with the Washington Nationals in 2016 before getting traded to the Chicago White Sox and spending parts of seven seasons with the organization.

From 2019 to 2021, Giolito went 29-21 with a 3.47 ERA. He received American League Cy Young Award votes each year, and finished a career-best sixth in the voting in 2019, which was also his first and only All-Star campaign.

After struggling to the tune of a 4.90 ERA in 2022, Giolito initially bounced back in 2023, going 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts with the White Sox before getting traded to the Los Angeles Angels.

Giolito had a nightmarish six-start stint in L.A. that saw him go 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA, leading to the Cleveland Guardians claiming him off waivers. Things didn't go any better in Cleveland, as Giolito went 1-4 with a 7.04 ERA in six starts.

Given his struggles in 2023 and the fact that he was coming off a major elbow injury, there was no telling how Giolito would fare in 2025.

However, he has seemingly recaptured some of his past magic, which could make him a desirable deadline target for teams in need of an arm in the middle or back end of their starting rotation.

Per Spotrac, there is a $14.0 million club option in Giolito's contract for 2026 that becomes a $19.0 million mutual option if he pitches at least 140 innings this season.

That means Giolito isn't a traditional impending free agent, which suggests there is at least a chance the Red Sox will keep him around even if they do decide to sell some pieces at the deadline.