As expected, the Boston Red Sox watched some prominent members of the 2025 club hit the open market on Monday.

Alex Bregman opted out of his final two years to enter free agency. Lucas Giolito will reportedly join him.

Giolito declined the player side of his mutual option, according to the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier . Boston and the starting pitcher both would have needed to agree to exercise the $19 million option for 2026.

Boston signed Giolito to a two-year, $38.5 million deal after two erratic seasons. He had made at least 29 starts in each of the last five full seasons (excluding 2020) before missing all of 2024 when he tore his UCL that spring.

Giolito successfully returned to register a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings this year. His strikeout percentage dipped to 19.6 percent, below

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