Lucas Giolito Free Agency Update: MLB insider claim Mets have 'strong interest' in former White Sox pitcher

Free agent right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito is among the starting pitchers that the New York Mets are interested in since losing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to a report from the New York Post, the Mets may now move ahead with Plan B, which excludes pitchers like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

As far as Giolito is concerned, the right-handed pitcher pitched 184.1 innings last season, only the fourth time since 2018. Moreover, he also struck out 204 hitters.

He was lights out before the All-Star break, but he went through a divorce mid-July, and since then his numbers have derailed. He finished with an 8-15 record with a 4.88 ERA in 33 starts. Moreover, he led the AL in home runs allowed.

Apart from the Mets, the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox are among those who are also interested in his services.

To put it straight, the Mets were only willing to splurge big on Yamamoto and since they couldn't land, they will now veer towards less expensive options, which include pitchers like Lucas Giolito, Mike Clevinger, Sean Manaea and Hyun-jin Ryu.

Lucas Giolito's MLB career

Hailing from Santa Monica, California, Lucas Giolito was selected 16th overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2012 MLB draft. Rumors are that due to his elbow concerns, he was dropped from being the first overall pick that year.

The Nats scheduled Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow in August of that year. Giolito was added to the Nationals' active roster on June 28, 2016, and made his major league debut that night against the New York Mets.

In his debut, he pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out one.

The Nationals traded Giolito, Reynaldo López, and Dane Dunning to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Adam Eaton on December 7, 2016.

His best year came in 2019, in which he was selected for the All-Star game. Giolito concluded the season with a 14-9 record, a 3.41 ERA, 228 strikeouts, and three complete games in 29 starts (176.2 innings). He also finished sixth in the vote for the AL Cy Young Award.