The Boston Red Sox’s starting rotation is completely up in the air right now outside of Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello.

Crochet is under contract at least through the 2030 season. The big lefty has an opt-out in his deal after the 2030 season, unless he spends 120 days or more on the Injured List due to a left elbow injury, per Spotrac. Bello is under contract through the 2029 season and then has a club option on his deal worth $21 million for the 2030 season.

The Red Sox’s rotation has great building blocks, but needs more and there have already been trade rumors out there about who could be a fit. There are young guys with the team that could help, like Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, Kyle Harrison, Hunter Dobbins, and Richard Fitts. The Red Sox also have Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, and injured Tanner Houck. Lucas Giolito is someone who would be nice to have back, but his contract situation is tricky with a mutual option. No matter what happens, it would make sense to add another starter, even if it means trading a young guy away.

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo talked about the team’s rotation situation and shared that if Giolito returns, then Dobbins or Harrison could end up being expendable.

Sep 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

“A wild card in all of this is Giolito, who enters free agency in a strange scenario,” Cotillo said. “He has a $19 million mutual option (that comes with a $1.5 million buyout) that is almost always a lock to be declined by one side, meaning he’s effectively a free agent. A strong, healthy finish would have positioned Giolito for a multi-year deal on the open market. Instead, elbow soreness — with no structural damage — ended his year before the postseason and will give teams pause entering the season.

“The qualifying offer — and a Giolito acceptance of that $22.025 million deal for next year — is possible. So, too, is a different type of deal that keeps him in Boston, especially if the Red Sox feel comfortable with medicals other teams aren’t yet privy to. Giolito has loved his time in Boston and the Red Sox consider him one of their best leaders. A relative bargain caused by the elbow issue might create a pathway to a deal. A reunion there certainly wouldn’t rule out a rotation upgrade elsewhere — and it would make it more palatable for Breslow to trade someone like, say, Dobbins or Harrison.”

It’s an interesting quote, to say the least. The fact that Cotillo believes there’s a chance that Giolito could get the qualifying offer is a good sign. It’s going to be just over $22 million in 2026. That would be a raise over the $19 million mutual option he currently has for a starter that very well could be in the middle of the rotation. If he opted to leave with the qualifying offer attached, the Red Sox would get draft compensation.

It seems like a no-brainer to try to bring Giolito back and ideally that would give the team enough depth to try to attach a young guy in trade talks for a starter to put near the top of the rotation a well, like Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins. If the Red Sox’s rotation in 2026 features Crochet, an acquisition at No. 2, Bello, Giotlio, and then someone like Early, that would give Boston a chance to really make some noise.

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