The Padres on Wednesday signed veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito to a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2027. The move adds depth to a San Diego rotation that has withstood injuries to Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning already this season.
Giolito will start with game action at Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he’ll build toward joining the Padres. There’s no set timeline for a callup, per a source, but the right-hander's contract dictates that he’ll need to be added to the roster within 25 days.
That Giolito's free agency extended into the regular season was a surprise, although he had drawn interest from the Cubs in addition to the Padres earlier this month.
Giolito returned to the mound in 2025 as a different pitcher but still a quite effective one. After missing all of 2024 -- his first year of a two-year deal with the Red Sox -- due to UCL surgery, the right-hander posted a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts with Boston in 2025. For the first time since 2018 with the White Sox, he struck out less than one batter per inning, but Giolito said he focused more on pitching to contact rather than chasing whiffs.
Giolito did not receive a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, so there is no Draft pick compensation attached to him, or penalty for signing him.
The 31-year-old experienced a welcome return to form last season after putting up a 4.89 ERA in 63 starts from 2022-23, including stints with the Angels and Guardians after being traded by the White Sox at the 2023 Deadline. Giolito had a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts for Chicago before the deal but struggled for both Los Angeles (6.89 ERA) and Cleveland (7.04 ERA).
Still, Giolito -- who was an All-Star in 2019 and received down-ballot American League Cy Young Award votes in 2019, 2020 and 2021 -- earned a two-year, $38.5 million deal with the Red Sox. During those three seasons, the righty posted a 3.47 ERA with 526 strikeouts in 427 2/3 innings pitched.
After elbow surgery knocked him out for all of 2024, Giolito suffered a left hamstring strain that pushed his 2025 debut back to April 30. He posted a 6.42 ERA in his first seven starts for Boston before finding a rhythm, pitching to a 2.51 ERA in his remaining 19 outings. He finished with 56 walks and 121 strikeouts in 145 innings. A right elbow issue -- believed to be minor -- kept Giolito off Boston’s AL Wild Card Series roster.
Giolito averaged 93.3 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2025, consistent with 2023 (93.1 mph) and 2022 (92.8 mph). His four-pitch repertoire also features a slider, a changeup and a little-used curveball typically deployed against left-handed batters.