The San Diego Padres have brought aboard seasoned pitcher Lucas Giolito, adding the premier free agent starter available to help their injury-riddled pitching staff as the team continues its hot start to the season.
San Diego revealed the one-year contract agreement with Giolito on Wednesday, which includes a team option for 2027. The club did not reveal monetary details of the arrangement.
The 31-year-old California native posted a 10-4 record with a 3.41 earned run average across 26 starts for Boston last season, demonstrating a strong comeback following his absence from the entire 2024 campaign due to right elbow surgery that repaired his ulnar collateral ligament with an internal brace procedure in March.
Throughout nine major league seasons with Washington, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland, Giolito has compiled a 71-66 record with a 4.30 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.
The right-hander has demonstrated consistency and reliability throughout most of his professional tenure, earning All-Star recognition in 2019 and delivering a no-hitter in 2020. Even with his injury-shortened season, he remains among the top five American League hurlers from 2018-25 in innings thrown (1,092), strikeouts (1,153), victories (68) and complete games (5).
However, Giolito remained unsigned nearly a full month into the current season before joining the Padres, who have excelled on the mound despite significant rotation disruptions and injury concerns.
Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta landed on the disabled list last week with a right elbow flexor strain that may sideline him for several months, while Joe Musgrove has yet to take the mound this year due to a prolonged recovery from Tommy John surgery. Yu Darvish is already finished for the season with an elbow problem, and Dylan Cease departed last fall after signing a $210 million free-agent contract with Toronto.
Despite these setbacks, the Padres maintain the majors’ second-best team ERA at 3.22 following Tuesday night’s 1-0 victory over Colorado, marking their 11th win in 12 contests. San Diego’s 16-7 record matches the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers for baseball’s best mark.
General manager A.J. Preller managed to accommodate Giolito within his financial constraints while the franchise undergoes ownership changes. The family of deceased Padres owner Peter Seidler is close to completing a sale to billionaire Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones.
Giolito will immediately join a rotation currently featuring Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Germán Márquez and former Dodgers ace Walker Buehler. Right-hander Matt Waldron made a start following Pivetta’s injury but performed poorly in a defeat to the Angels.
Giolito had signed a $38.5 million, two-year agreement with Boston in January 2024. He aims to continue his impressive performance with the Red Sox from 2025, when he went 9-1 with a 2.26 ERA over 15 starts between June 10 and August 31 after a sluggish beginning. Opposing batters managed just .194 (25 for 129) against his changeup and .200 (3 for 15) against his curveball.
Boston excluded him from their postseason roster after he experienced elbow discomfort in mid-September, though no structural damage was found — which he described as “a small relief in a very unfortunate situation.”
“As it was described to me in layman’s terms, my flexor is very irritated and at this point it’s hard for me to describe,” Giolito explained following Game 1 of Boston’s AL Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees. “It’s like weird stuff going on with my bone. It’s one of those things I was told you got to stop throwing and let it calm down.”
Giolito has not appeared in playoff action since 2021, when he made his second career postseason appearance for the White Sox.
San Diego moved right-hander Bryan Hoeing to the 60-day disabled list to create roster space for Giolito on the 40-man squad.
