Bleacher Report’s predicted Orioles signing would be hilarious in-division revenge

Everyone knows that the Baltimore Orioles need to add starting pitching this offseason, but there are some who are skeptical they will actually do it. Mike Elias is saying all the right things at the moment, but the Orioles under Elias have demonstrated little outside of the Corbin Burnes trade to convince fans that they will ever get serious about doing so.

This problem has been compounded by the Grayson Rodriguez trade. There was no guarantee whatsoever that Rodriguez was going to be able to help Baltimore much in 2026 and beyond, but now it isn't even a possibility as he got shipped to the Angels. The Orioles will sign arms to be sure, but last offseason is a reminder that signing arms is not the same as signing quality arms.

Thankfully, there is one arm in particular that could be really useful (if he is healthy) and would also allow him to stick it to a division rival. In Bleacher Report's Opening Day rotation predictions for every MLB team, they have the Orioles landing free agent starter Lucas Giolito, and boy, would that be a great way to troll the Red Sox as well.

Orioles' predicted signing of Lucas Giolito would stick it to the Red Sox...we hope

When he is on and healthy, Giolito is an extremely solid middle-of-the-rotation type of starter with upside for more than that. While he did post a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings in Boston in 2025, it came after missing a lot of time over two seasons following elbow surgery. Giolito is also a bit of a weird profile because while almost none of his metrics stand out as particularly strong at the moment, his extension allows his stuff to play up, and he does have a history of missing bats that gives hope of good times ahead.

Giolito does feel like a solid prediction for the Orioles, outside of the fact that it would give Baltimore the chance to make the Red Sox regret their life choices. The Orioles would be signing him as a buy-low, rebound candidate, and he is only predicted to command a three-year deal at around $57 million, which feels like a deal Elias might actually be willing to offer compared to the megadeals the top arms are expected to get.

Of course, Giolito's elbow issues and inconsistent results in recent years do add some risk to a potential deal here. There would be big-time bragging rights if Baltimore signed Giolito and he pitched well. However, if the Orioles added him and then he stunk and/or got hurt, you can fully expect no shortage of Red Sox fans flipping the script and saying "we told you so".