MLB Rumors: Lucas Giolito Has New Suitor In AL East

February 05, 2026 ,
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito looks in during 2025 game.

Baltimore keeps getting tied to big rotation names, but Lucas Giolito is starting to feel like the most realistic lane if the Orioles want a veteran starter without paying the hidden tax. 

Jon Heyman has included Giolito on the club’s list alongside higher-profile options, and the appeal is simple because Giolito wouldn’t cost Baltimore a draft pick because he doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached. 

The MLB qualifying offer for this winter sits at $22.025 million, and signing a QO free agent forces teams to forfeit a pick, so that definitely makes a difference.

Orioles interest in Lucas Giolito comes with a clear upside

Giolito just delivered a real bounce-back season in 2025 with the Boston Red Sox, going 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA over 145 innings while striking out 121. 

Now that the Orioles missed on the true top-end arm they’ve been circling, Giolito fits as a stabilizer who can take the ball every fifth day and keep them out of bullpen chaos, especially in a division where you need functional depth as much as you need star power.

Over his nine-year career, Giolito has recorded a 4.30 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, with 1,198 strikeouts across 1,158.2 innings and 204 starts. He was an All-Star in the 2019 season, and earned Cy-Young votes in the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons. 

What Giolito would mean for Baltimore’s 2026 rotation plan

The catch is that Giolito is more solid middle innings pitcher than an “October ace,” and the underlying numbers have been debated, so Baltimore would be betting on their defense, coaching, and workload management to keep him trending the right way. 

Still, if the Orioles want to upgrade now without gutting their future in a trade, this is the type of move that can quietly raise the floor of the staff while leaving the door open for a bigger swing later. 

Photo Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

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