It’s been a rough go of it of late for veteran starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, who went from being one of the brightest pitching prospects in baseball to posting a career-worst -1.2 WAR in 2023 with the L.A. Angels and Cleveland Guardians.
The 29-year-old Californian is officially a free agent for the first time in his career, however, with the tall righty looking to build on the early success he had with the Chicago White Sox that allowed him to accumulate a career WAR of 12.5 in 180 MLB games.
While it seems like the Guardians are likely out of the running for Giolito’s services, there should be a host of MLB teams that make a run at the right-handed pitcher, including his hometown Dodgers. ESPN BET Ohio lists the Guardians as +5000 to win the next World Series. Now that MLB free agency is officially underway, BetOhio.com put together a list of landing spots for Giolito’s services in 2024 and beyond.
Lucas Giolito Next Team Odds
Cardinals Could Also Make a Run at Giolito
The top contender to land Giolito is his hometown team, with the L.A. Dodgers almost guaranteed to make a run at the 29-year-old during the league’s free agent window. Ohio sports betting sites list L.A. as +800 to win the World Series, the second-best odds in baseball. According to Spotrac, the Dodgers currently have the 17th-largest 2024 payroll ($108.8M), which means they likely have plenty to throw around this offseason given their free-spending ways.
While many expect L.A. to go hard after two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani, there’s little reason to expect the Dodgers to sit out on Giolito, especially if he can find the stuff that guided him to consecutive top-10 finishes in the AL Cy Young race in 2019 and 2020.
Other contenders to land Giolito this offseason include the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, who check in at +700 apiece, while the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles all sit at +1000.
