5 Red Sox Leaving Boston in the New Year
The New Year is finally here, meaning the 2025 MLB season is just a few months away from beginning.
The Boston Red Sox will head into the new campaign with the highest expectations they've faced in a long time. The 2024 season was another disappointing year for the Red Sox, who missed their third consecutive postseason — and fifth since 2019 — with an underwhelming 81-81 record.
Even though Boston's 2025 roster is mostly set, not everyone is guaranteed to survive the upcoming season in Beantown. Whether it's because of declining performances or a contract situation, several players are about to start what'll likely be their final campaign with the franchise.
With that in mind, here are five Red Sox who will likely leave Boston in the New Year.
1. Lucas Giolito, SP
The Red Sox bolstered their starting rotation in January when they inked MLB All-Star pitcher Lucas Giolito to a two-year contract. Unfortunately, an elbow injury prevented the veteran right-handed hurler from making a single appearance.
After last year's disappointment, Giolito is looking to turn things around in Boston after opting into his $19 million player option. With that being said, it's going to take a lot for him to convince the Red Sox to bring him back once his contract expires.
As mentioned before, Giolito hasn't pitched a meaningful game in well over a year, meaning there's no telling if he still has an All-Star-caliber arm. Red Sox fans have every right to be concerned about the 30-year-old's outlook after how his last season ended.
After starting the 2023 campaign with the Chicago White Sox, Giolito went a putrid 2-9 with a 6.96 ERA and .918 OPS allowed in 12 starts split between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians. If that's the version of himself that shows up at spring training, the Red Sox might look to move on from Giolito sooner rather than later.
At the end of the day, the Santa Monica, CA native will likely need a massive performance to remain in Boston in 2025 and beyond.