Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet said on Saturday that it's "insane" that free agent starting pitcher and former teammate Lucas Giolito is still unsigned as Spring Training games get underway.
MassLive Red Sox reporter Chris Cotillo mentioned the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers as some teams that have been "linked to" Giolito this offseason.
Crochet specifically named the Braves as a good match for his longtime teammate, who he also played alongside with the Chicago White Sox from 2020 to 2024.
"Giolito has been linked to teams like the Orioles, Tigers and Braves -- Crochet called Atlanta a 'pretty obvious fit' for him now after losing Spencer Schwellenbach and Huston Waldrep to injury -- and could also intrigue the Twins, who just lost Pablo Lopez to Tommy John surgery," Cotillo wrote.
Atlanta's current starting pitching depth chart includes former Boston All-Star Chris Sale, 2023 All-Star Spencer Strider and 2024 All-Star Reynaldo Lopez, but has question marks beyond that.
The Braves are projected to have 29-year-old right-hander Grant Holmes and 28-year-old lefty Joey Wentz at the back end of their rotation, but the former only became a full-time starter in 2025 while the latter was used as a starter over the second half of the 2025 campaign.
Giolito spent the last two seasons with the Red Sox but missed all of the 2024 campaign after undergoing elbow surgery.
The 31-year-old recovered to go 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 121 strikeouts across 145 innings pitched covering 26 regular season starts in 2025 but missed the playoffs due to an elbow injury.
"Incredibly impactful," Crochet said of Giolito's 2025 season. "There were times where him and (Brayan) Bello were both pitching like the ace of the staff. From June to August, there was a big window there where I feel like they were really leading the charge."
More MLB: Garrett Crochet Says It's 'Insane' That Former Red Sox Teammate Remains Unsigned