Lucas Giolito he is the most notable unsigned player in MLB. The veteran right-hander did not sign for the rest of the season. There hasn’t been much in the way of public rumors, as the reported relationship to the Braves and Padres was quickly shot down.
Giolito finished last season with the Red Sox on the injured list because of a flexor tear. That has led some fans to speculate about health as a possible reason for his non-signing. The free starter has kept himself healthy since November, however. He also revealed as much in an appearance on The Baseball Is Not Boring podcast with WEEI’s Rob Bradford this week, saying he still hasn’t received what he considers the essentials of a contract.
“I just want to play to get closer to what my value is,” Giolito told Bradford. “Everything is based on these models now. Everyone uses projection and models. My agency (CAA) does the same thing. When you look at models and projections (in terms of value), it’s like ‘okay, give me something close to that.’ Let’s go get it. I’m ready to go.”
The righty said he never felt that close to signing in the winter. “The last few months have been weird. The talk seems to be getting heated, and then it’s like ‘okay don’t worry,'” he added. The full interview is worth a listen, as Giolito discusses his free agent process and current training schedule.
He works at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida, as he has all winter. He throws about 75 pitches in each of his bullpen seasons. He indicated that he is in good shape and will not need any further preparation once he has signed. “If I get a chance, do you want me to throw a game in Triple-A to get ready or put me in (big) five innings,” he asked sarcastically. “I’ll do anything. I’m happy to do anything if I get a chance to help the team.”
That has similarities to the Blue Jays’ latest signing Patrick Corbin. The southpaw reportedly worked about 80 pitches in his private practice before Toronto picked him up last Friday. Corbin allowed optional assignment and made one tuning start in Low-A. The Jays remembered him today with his first team. He started and went four innings and 85 pitches in his MLB debut.
Giolito could have followed the same path. It looks like a recession. Corbin signed for $1MM guaranteed, a little north of the league minimum. If Giolito was willing to do that, he would have been signed months ago. He certainly isn’t interested in signing that small after posting a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings in Boston last season.
The former All-Star said he believes early season injuries and the league’s struggles could increase interest, though he declined to elaborate on which teams might be involved. The Astros, A’s, Angels, Padres and Tigers are among the teams that have had sluggish pitching and/or early health concerns.
As a projection, Houston probably makes a lot of sense on paper. They started 6-7 despite scoring the most runs in the MLB. They are below the top two starters, Hunter Brown again Cristian Javierseveral weeks due to shoulder strain. Tatsuya Imai he had no hits in his first three MLB starts. They go around changing six people even though they have it Mike Burrows again Lance McCullers Jr. as their two most reliable healthy starters. The Astros are about $12MM under the competitive balance tax cap.
