Padres sign free agent starter Lucas Giolito to one-year contract

SAN DIEGO — The Padres on Wednesday signed veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito to a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. 

In what is an already depleted room that has Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning all shelved on the IL, the move adds much needed depth to San Diego’s rotation. Despite drawing interest from the Padres and the Cubs during the offseason, Giolito’s free agency period prolonging into the regular season was unexpected. 

He will work to eventually join the Padres and will start his 2026 season down in Lake Elsinore with live action in Single-A. There is no set timeline as to when he’ll get called up but the 31-year-old will now have a 25 day window to be added to the roster. 

Back in 2024, Giolito signed a two-year, $38.5 million deal with the Red Sox and ended up missing the first year due to UCL surgery. The lone year he played in Boston, he posted a 3.41 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 26 starts. 

Since Giolito didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, there will be no draft pick compensation for signing him. 

Before recentering his pitching approach in 2024 to having more contact instead of focusing on whiffs, Giolito finished 2022-23 seasons with an 4.89 ERA in 63 starts, including stints with the Angels and Guardians after being traded by the White Sox at the 2023 trade deadline. He pitched in 21 games for the Chicago in 2023 and had a 3.79 ERA but struggled to replicate those numbers in Los Angeles (6.89 ERA) and Cleveland (7.04 ERA). 

Giolito was named an All-Star in 2019 with the White Sox and received American League Cy Young Award votes in 2019, 2020 and 2021. During that three-year span, he pitched in 427 2/3 innings and posted a 3.47 ERA with 526 strikeouts. 

Following his season-ending elbow surgery in 2024, the righty suffered a left hamstring strain that delayed his 2025 Red Sox debut. He recorded a 6.42 ERA in his first seven starts before settling in, tossing a 2.51 ERA in his remaining 19 appearances. He was kept off Boston’s 2025 Wild Card roster with a minor right elbow injury.  

In just under 20,000 pitches thrown, Giolito has a pitching arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup. While it is not used often, he does have a curveball he could throw out at times.