According to multiple media reports, righty Lucas Giolito did not receive a qualifying offer from the Red Sox. This makes him an unrestricted free agent, allowing the 31-year-old to sign with any team this offseason.

If Boston had sent a QO his way, it would have been for approximately $22 million. And it should be noted that he would have had the option to decline that offer.

That's now all irrelevant.

For the uninitiated - here’s why this matters:

As the Red Sox season withered away at Yankee Stadium in early October, one thing was clear: the team needs more pitching.

After Garrett Crochet pitched the game of his life in Game 1 against the Yankees, the rest of the rotation was nowhere to be found.

After a bounce back regular season, Brayan Bello only lasted 28 pitches through 2.1 innings in Game 2. And in Game 3, 23-year-old Connelly Early gave you all he could until manager Alex Cora opted for a bullpen game starting in the 4th inning.

After the four-year wait between postseason appearances for Red Sox fans, it was more than disappointing to see their team be the first since major league baseball switched to the three-game Wild Card format not to win a series after going up 1-0.

And to do it against the Yankees?

Honestly? Disgusting.

How did this happen? Why were the Red Sox left turning to a pitcher in his fifth career professional start in a do-or-die situation?

That’s because No. 2 starter Giolito suffered an injury to his throwing elbow in late September, ending his comeback season shortly before the postseason could get under way.

After missing the entirety of his first season in Boston while recovering from UCL surgery in his right elbow, how much Boston was going to get out of Giolito in 2025 was a massive question mark. But despite the occasional bumps along the way, he rounded into Boston’s most reliable pitcher not named Crochet, going 10-4 in 26 starts with a 3.41 ERA, striking out 121 hitters across 145.0 innings of work.

If you have that guy for the Yankees series, chances are we’re talking about a deeper run for Boston. Are we watching them against the Dodgers in the World Series? Probably not enough hitting to get that done. But at the very least, it would have been a much more enjoyable fall in Boston had Giolito’s elbow held up.

But with his future in Boston somewhat up in the air, he could not ignore the combination of flexor irritation and bone issues in the elbow he just had surgery on last year. Had he not addressed the problem, it would have led to larger issues down the line, potentially costing him millions.

Fast forward to now, and Giolito could be looking to cash in this offseason after an upstart year in a Red Sox uniform.

Me personally? I’m winning the Giolito sweepstakes. They can afford it, and they need all the help they can get. It looks like what he was dealing with down the stretch wasn’t anything serious, so you can anticipate he’ll be a guy that can go out there and eat innings again for you in 2026.

If the front office is doing their job effectively, they’re extending this QO to Giolito - who has spoken numerous times about wanting to stay in Boston - as well as getting another big time arm to pair with Crochet.

…maybe Tarik Skubal? I wouldn’t hold your breath. Twins righty Joe Ryan? That’s likely a more realistic option.

You get someone like Ryan to be the No. 2, and you’re feeling really good about Giolito in the three-spot with Bello and Early rounding out the rotation.

We’ll continue to monitor this situation at Roundtable as it develops.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.