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Pair of Red Sox Signings Labeled One of MLB's Biggest Failures

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sterling Bennett | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 3:30 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 season with high expectations after a bold offseason led by chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. His aggressive moves, including a trade for ace Garrett Crochet and the marquee signing of Alex Bregman, were praised across the league. But halfway through the season, that optimism has faded, and the team’s performance has fallen far short of the hype.

Despite remaining in the mix for an AL Wild Card spot, Boston is under .500, and the on-field results have not matched the talent assembled on paper. A key reason for the Red Sox’s underwhelming season has been the struggles of their starting rotation — particularly newcomers Walker Buehler and Lucas Giolito.

Those struggles prompted Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report to rank the duo’s signings as the tenth biggest failure of the 2025 MLB season.

Giolito, coming off an internal brace procedure on his elbow, was seen as a potential bounce-back candidate and a sneaky good addition. But through 10 starts, the right-hander has been inconsistent, failing to make it out of the fourth inning in four appearances.

There are signs of improvement, however. Since June 10, Giolito has posted a 1.00 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 18 innings, showing glimpses of the pitcher Boston hoped to acquire.

The same optimism cannot be extended to Buehler.

Signed to a one-year, $21 million deal, Buehler was expected to bring stability and postseason pedigree to Boston’s rotation. Instead, he’s become one of the least effective starters in the league. His 6.29 ERA ranks as the fourth-highest among pitchers with at least 50 innings, and his June performance was particularly alarming. In three of his four starts that month, Buehler did not make it past the fourth inning — giving up at least five runs and walking a combined 13 batters in those outings.

As Kelly put it, “Both Giolito and Buehler were among the best pitchers in the game at one point. But there was ample reason to be wary of them as free agents, and it appears both were pretty bad misses on the part of Breslow.”

If the Red Sox hope to salvage their season, they will need far more from two pitchers who were supposed to be key pieces in their rotation and who, so far, have only added to the frustration in Boston.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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