Lucas Giolito officially exercised his $19 million player option for 2025 on Thursday, making official what he previously announced during the Red Sox’s final home stand last month.

The 30-year-old right-hander was Boston’s biggest free-agent pitching signing last offseason. He suffered a UCL injury in his second spring training game and underwent season-ending internal brace surgery on March 12.

It was a surprising turn of events for the Red Sox and Giolito, one of the game’s most durable starters over the past half-decade. Between 2018 and 2023, he made 167 regular season starts with a total of 947 innings. Before signing with the Sox, he made at least 29 starts in each of the last five seasons (not including the shortened 2020). Pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians in ’23, he had led the American League with 33 starts.

Giolito broke out with the White Sox in 2019, making the All-Star Game for the only time, and the first of three consecutive seasons in which he received American League Cy Young votes. He had a 3.47 ERA and 1.076 WHIP in 72 starts during that three-year span, but has struggled since then, posting a 4.89 ERA and 1.370 WHIP in 63 starts between ’22 and ’23.

Under new pitching coach Andrew Bailey and a revamped staff, several Red Sox starters took significant steps forward this year, including Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello, who became the first homegrown trio to make 30 starts each. one for the Red Sox since 1987. .

For Bailey and Co., helping Giolito limit walks and induce weaker contact will be key. Between the 2019 and 21 seasons, his walk rate jumped from 7.2% in 2021 to 8.7% and 9.2%. After limiting opponents to a .394 slugging percentage and 34.4% slugging rate in 2021, they slugged .455 and .482 against him with 39% and 41.6% slugging rates in the following two years . He allowed home runs at a 5.2% clip in 2023, a significant increase from the 3.5% he had allowed over the previous five seasons.

By opting in, Giolito also activates a couple of potential options for next season. If he pitches at least 140 innings in the 25th, he’ll unlock a $19 million mutual option for the 26th. Otherwise, the Red Sox have a $14 million club option or a $1.5 million buyout.

TELEVISION: After 42 seasons, Bob Costas retires from baseball on a play-by-play basis.

Costas had played games the past two seasons for MLB Network and TBS Sports. His last games were the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals.

Costas’ contract with TBS expired at the end of the season, but his plans to retire from play-by-play baseball had been in the works for more than a year.

Baseball has always been Costas’ favorite sport. He called games on NBC from 1982 to 1989 and again from 1994 to 2000. He was one of the announcers for the 1995 World Series and then the lead play-by-play voice for the Fall Classic in 1997 and 1999.

TONE CLOCK: Nine-inning games in the World Series averaged 3 hours, 19 minutes in the second year of the pitch clock, up from 3:01 in 2023.

The Series average was 3:24 in 2022 and 3:38 in 2021, the last season before the PitchCom electronic launch calling device. The 2023 average was the fastest since 1996.

Mid-inning pitching changes increased to 5.2 from 3.8 in 2023 and 2.5 in 2022. World Series runs per game increased to 10.0 from 9.3 in 2023 and 5.8 in 2022. Pitches increased to 315 from 298, the highest total since 2018.

The overall postseason game average remained at 3:02, up from 3:23 in 2022 and 3:37 in 2021.

TRADE: The Los Angeles Angels acquired outfielder and designated hitter Jorge Soler from the Atlanta Braves in a trade for right-hander Griffin Canning.

Soler has been a productive power hitter for five teams over the previous 11 seasons in the Major Leagues. The Cuban slugger was the MVP of the 2021 World Series with Atlanta, and also won a ring with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

MET: New York made its first move of the offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal with 33-year-old right-hander Dylan Covey.

Covey was 0-2 with a 2.66 ERA, 19 strikeouts and nine walks in 20 1/3 innings in 18 games this year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Double-A Reading and Class A Clearwater Philadelphia farm teams. .

ATHLETICS: Owner John Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion in building a stadium in Las Vegas and US Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan, club executive Sandy Dean said.

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