After building up a ton of momentum before the MLB All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox have come back down to earth. Alex Cora's club is heading into Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 2-4 record in their last six games, highlighting how important it is for the Red Sox to steal a win or two at Fenway Park this weekend.
The MLB trade deadline is exactly one week away on July 31, giving the Red Sox some time to add reinforcements to help improve their second-half outlook. Although a blockbuster trade likely isn't on Boston's radar, it wouldn't be surprising if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wanted to make a smaller deal to replace a veteran who's clearly on the chopping block.
Red Sox RHP Lucas Giolito Has 1 Week to Get Off Chopping Block Before Trade Deadline
It goes without saying that the Red Sox's starting rotation could use some pre-deadline love. The unit has struggled to maintain consistency outside of Garrett Crochet's stellar performance, and one of the most inconsistent performers of them all has been Lucas Giolito.
At first glance, Giolito's 2025 numbers don't look horrible, considering that he missed all of last season with an elbow injury. The former All-Star hurler is 6-2 with a 3.97 ERA in 15 starts, and is holding opponents to an average of 8.7 hits per nine innings pitched. Unfortunately, a little digging shows that things are worse than they seem.
Winning at home is always important, especially in the playoffs, and it's safe to say Giolito is allergic to playing well at Fenway Park. The 31-year-old righty owns a 4.84 ERA and has allowed opposing batters to average a .319/.359/.475 slash line in seven home starts (35 1/3 innings) this season, which includes allowing six-plus earned runs three times.
Although he pitched well in June and early July, Giolito has looked like a shell of his former self since returning from the All-Star break. He's allowed nine earned runs and five homers on 11 hits across his last two starts (9 1/3 innings), which is causing his season ERA to trend in the wrong direction again. The fact that both disastrous performances happened on the road, where Giolito is supposed to thrive, is even more concerning.
Giolito's next start is projected to happen against the Minnesota Twins next week, giving him one more game before the trade deadline to prove himself to Cora & Co. If he can't and has another instance where he throws out live batting practice to the opposition, the Red Sox might have no choice but to replace him, either with an internal replacement or an affordable trade target.