Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito was unable to contribute to the club in 2024 due to a season-ending elbow injury he suffered during spring training, but that doesn’t mean the eight-year veteran won’t contribute off the field can.

Giolito was in attendance for Game 1 of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium… along with free agent southpaw Max Fried. The two former high school teammates cheered on their Harvard-Westlake colleague Jack Flaherty, who took the mound for the Dodgers. Speculation might lead one to believe that Giolito was one step ahead of the game by luring Fried to the Red Sox before the MLB offseason rolls around and front offices get to work.

On the other hand, a harmless men’s evening to support a long-time friend is also an option.

The 30-year-old Fried finished his second All-Star career with the Atlanta Braves with a mark of 11-10 and a 3.25 ERA in 29 appearances (174 1/3 innings) – not too bad. Boston, coming off a postseason deficit for the third straight season and fifth in the last seven seasons, needs to think about improvements in all areas. Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford were the most reliable pieces in Red Sox manager Alex Cora’s rotation last season, but more will be needed if Boston intends to re-establish itself as a legitimate American League championship contender in 2025 .

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has already expressed Boston’s willingness to explore all options in the coming months to get the franchise back on track – including examining the free agency market.

“We can point to some guys that have stood out over the course of this season and really had a positive impact on our club, whether it was (Luis) Guerrero or (Richard) Fitts or (Quinn) Priest,” Breslow said at the end of the season in Boston press conference last month, according to video provided by the team. “(Justin) Slaten was a guy who wasn’t with the organization this time last year and said, you know, we’re on the right track, but we still have a lot of work to do.”