The San Diego Padres have signed veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito, bolstering the surging team\u2019s injury-plagued rotation with the top starter left on the free-agent market.<\/p>\n
The Padres announced a one-year deal for Giolito on Wednesday with a mutual option for 2027. Financial terms weren\u2019t disclosed.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old Giolito is a Southern California native who went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts last year for the Boston Red Sox, bouncing back solidly after missing the entire 2024 season because his right ulnar collateral ligament was repaired<\/a> with an internal brace that March.<\/p>\n Giolito has played parts of nine seasons in the majors for the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox<\/a>, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Guardians and Red Sox, going 71-66 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.<\/p>\n He has been durable and dependable for most of his career while earning an All-Star selection<\/a> in 2019 and throwing a no-hitter in 2020<\/a>. Despite missing a season because of injury, he ranks in the top five among AL pitchers from 2018-25 in innings pitched (1,092), strikeouts (1,153), wins (68) and complete games (five).<\/p>\n But Giolito remained on the free-agent market nearly a month into the season before landing with the Padres, who are pitching superbly this season despite major upheaval and injury problems in their rotation.<\/p>\n Opening-day starter Nick Pivetta went on the injured list last week with a right elbow flexor strain that could keep him out for months, while Joe Musgrove has yet to make his season debut after a slower-than-expected return from Tommy John surgery. Yu Darvish is out for the season<\/a> with an elbow injury, and Dylan Cease left last fall<\/a> for a $210 million free-agent deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n Yet the Padres\u2019 team ERA is the second-lowest in the majors at 3.22 after they beat the Colorado Rockies 1-0 on Tuesday night for their 11th victory in 12 games. San Diego (16-7) is even with the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the majors.<\/p>\n General manager A.J. Preller figured out a way to fit Giolito under his budget even while his team is in ownership transition. The family of late Padres owner Peter Seidler is nearing a sale of the team to billionaire Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones.<\/p>\n Giolito will slot immediately into a rotation that currently includes Michael King, Randy V\u00e1squez, Germ\u00e1n M\u00e1rquez and former Dodgers star Walker Buehler. Right-hander Matt Waldron took a start last week after Pivetta\u2019s injury but struggled in a loss to the Angels.<\/p>\n Giolito agreed to a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Red Sox in January 2024. He will attempt to build on his strong work in 2025, when he went 9-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 15 starts from June 10 to Aug. 31 after a slower start to the season. Opponents hit .194 (25 for 129) against his changeup and .200 (3 for 15) against his curveball.<\/p>\n He was left off Boston\u2019s postseason roster after experiencing some elbow discomfort in mid-September<\/a>, but there was no structural damage \u2014 something he said was \u201ca small relief in a very unfortunate situation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs it was described to me in layman\u2019s terms, my flexor is very irritated and at this point it\u2019s hard for me to describe,\u201d Giolito said after Game 1 of Boston\u2019s AL wild-card series against the New York Yankees. \u201cIt\u2019s like weird stuff going on with my bone. It\u2019s one of those things I was told you\u2019ve got to stop throwing and let it calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n