Lucas Giolito talks unpredictable path to the Red Sox
FORT MYERS, Fla. - As Alex Cora noted to the media Tuesday morning, this was a tough day for the Red Sox.
The gloom stemmed from news that Lucas Giolito will not be available for Opening Day and may be facing season-ending surgery on his right pitching elbow.
The absence of Giolito in the Red Sox' starting rotation is a huge hit, if for no other reason than the pitcher's ability to give the club the kind of innings it yearned for in 2023. It was that skillset - along with the upside shown by Giolito in the first half of last season - that served as the impetus for the Sox signing the 29-year-old to a two-year, $38.5 million deal in the offseason.
Without Giolito, the Red Sox' starting staff now consists of Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta, along with some combination of Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock, Kutter Crawford and Josh Winckowski.
"I mean, there's a reason those guys are getting stretched out, right," Cora said. "Tanner, Wink, Whit, Kutter. From that aspect, obviously, this is a guy we were looking forward to to contribute. We’ll see what happens in the upcoming days. This guy, he gives you length and innings during the season. But these guys, they have to step forward. I’ve been saying it all along, it really doesn’t matter who you sign , who you don’t sign. The kids here, the guys here, they have to take a step forward and now most likely somebody has to do that."
It is a group that has shown promise thus far throughout the spring training, but hasn't yet proven the ability to consistently go deep into games. It's why the idea of the Red Sox now looping back to the free agent market makes sense, with Jordan Montgomery topping their list.