The New York Yankees should probably avoid this pitcher.
The New York Yankees definitely seem to be in the market for another starting pitcher this offseason. Brian Cashman himself said it will be a priority, and with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon set to start 2026 on the shelf, it absolutely makes sense for the Yankees to add another arm.
However, New York has been linked to one pitcher in particular it should probably avoid: Lucas Giolito.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post has reported that the Yankees have expressed some interest in Giolio, who spent the 2025 campaign with the Boston Red Sox and logged a 3.41 ERA.
While the ERA looks nice, it's worth noting that Giolito registered just 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings, a massive dropoff from the 10 he averaged during his most recent healthy campaign in 2023. He also managed a 4.17 FIP and 5.01 xERA in 2025, indicating that he benefited from good luck.
Giolito actually signed with the Red Sox ahead of 2024, but missed the entire 2024 season as a result of an elbow injury that required surgery. So perhaps his strikeout decline should not be all that surprising.
Lucas Giolito. Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images.The 31-year-old has been very inconsistent throughout his career. He entered the big leagues with the Washington Nationals in 2016 but didn't become a full-time player until 2018 with the Chicago White Sox, when he posted an ugly 6.13 ERA and led the league with 90 walks.
Giolito improved tremendously in 2019, making the All-Star team after pitching to the tune of a 3.41 ERA and racking up 228 strikeouts over 176.1 innings of work. He then recorded a couple of more solid campaigns in Chicago before unraveling in 2022, and in 2023, he gave up a league-worst 41 home runs.
The right-hander owns a lifetime 4.30 ERA, and while he would merely serve as a fifth starter for the Yankees, New York needs more than just Giolito. He is definitely a step above Carlos Carrasco, but if the Yanks are going to go the free agent route, they should more seriously look at a reunion with Michael King, to whom they have also been linked.
Giolito could actually be solid on a one-year deal, but he comes with too much risk thanks to the recent injury and his ugly 2025 peripherals.
The Yankees can do better, and they absolutely should, whether that's signing King or pursuing a trade for Sandy Alcantara or Freddy Peralta.