DENVER -- Four weeks into the season, the Padres are tied for the best record in baseball -- and they just addressed the biggest concern on their roster.
San Diego added to its rotation depth on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year deal with free-agent right-hander Lucas Giolito. The deal also features a mutual option for the 2027 season.
“It's awesome that we signed Lucas,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said before the middle game of a three-game set in Colorado. “Looking forward to getting him here with the big league team, but he's got to be built up a little bit. He brings a track record of a lot of success in the big leagues, and he's still only 31 years old, so we've got a young starting pitcher that we've added into the fold, and hopefully in his prime.”
Giolito brings some much-needed depth to a rotation that is already without Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning (not to mention Yu Darvish, who underwent elbow surgery last October and will miss the season).
Giolito, whose extended free agency came as a surprise, was also courted by the Cubs and potentially others this month. He has been throwing regularly to try to stay as ready as possible for the day he signed.
But, naturally, Giolito will need a few Minor League starts to build up. He will begin with game action at Single-A Lake Elsinore. The team wouldn’t put a timeline on his potential callup, but Giolito’s contract dictates that he’ll need to be added to the big league roster within 25 days.
What to expect from Giolito
Giolito, 31, missed the 2024 season due to UCL surgery, but he returned to the mound in ‘25 as a different pitcher -- and an effective one. He posted a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts. It was a marked improvement after he’d struggled in the two seasons preceding surgery. In 63 starts from 2022-23, Giolito recorded a 4.89 ERA while pitching for the White Sox, Angels and Guardians.
Clearly, the Padres are hopeful Giolito has managed to rekindle the version of himself that was an All-Star in 2019 and received down-ballot Cy Young votes in ‘19, ‘20 and ‘21.
Upon his return from surgery, Giolito’s Red Sox debut was pushed back until April 30 last season. He struggled early, recording a 6.42 ERA in his first seven starts for Boston. After that? Giolito pitched to a 2.51 ERA in his remaining 19 outings. A right elbow issue -- believed to be minor -- kept him off Boston’s Wild Card Series roster.
Giolito averaged 93.3 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2025, consistent with his previous averages. His four-pitch repertoire also features a slider, a changeup and a little-used curveball.
The state of the Padres’ rotation
Despite the injuries, the front of the San Diego rotation looks relatively strong. Michael King and Randy Vásquez have been excellent across the first month of the season.
But there was still a clear need in the middle of that rotation -- particularly when Pivetta landed on the IL with a flexor strain in his right elbow. The team is confident Pivetta will avoid surgery, but Stammen noted his recovery would be a matter of “weeks and maybe months.”
In the meantime, Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning are on their way back from injuries. But Musgrove, who underwent October 2024 Tommy John surgery, endured a setback during Spring Training and hasn’t resumed throwing off a mound.
As such, the back of the Padres’ rotation currently features Walker Buehler, Germán Márquez and Matt Waldron. That trio has combined to post a 5.18 ERA (making it all the more remarkable that the Padres have gotten off to such a strong start). But Buehler and Márquez showed some promise in each of their most recent starts.
“You've always got to plan for what you don't think might happen,” Stammen said. “We experienced that the last few years. We're better set up with Lucas in the fold.”
What’s next?
That trio at the back of the San Diego rotation is going to need to work to keep their spots.
Canning, who is rehabbing a torn left Achilles from last June, will probably require a couple more rehab starts and could return in early May. Giolito, meanwhile, has 25 days to be added to the roster, putting that deadline at May 17.
But there’s nothing that says it’ll need to take that long. If Giolito is ready sooner -- and the back end of the Padres’ rotation is still struggling -- he could debut sometime in early May.
“Judging by the way he's thinking, he feels pretty good with where he's at right now,” Stammen said. “Once he gets built up to throw 95 pitches or so, he'll probably be coming here.”
In the meantime, there’s suddenly a bit less urgency for Pivetta and Musgrove to return to the rotation, given their current elbow troubles. The Padres have certainly been able to hold down the fort without them. And when they return, it’ll give the San Diego rotation another major boost.
For now, the Giolito signing doesn’t solve the entire rotation puzzle. Even when he’s ready, there will be injury and depth concerns. But it’s a step toward addressing the biggest question mark on the San Diego roster -- a roster that, through four weeks, looks like a contender.