Padres ‘better set up' in rotation after signing free-agent starter Lucas Giolito

DENVER - The Padres bought some insurance for their starting rotation.

Lucas Giolito, the last remaining quality free agent starting pitcher on the market, was signed Wednesday to a one-year deal and will begin his time with the organization pitching for low-A Lake Elsinore as he works to build up before joining the Padres in mid-May.

Giolito, who will also be at Petco Park working with the major league staff in the coming weeks, has to be placed on the active roster by May 16.

Giolito can make slightly more than $7.5 million in 2026. That is based on the prorated portion of a $1.5 million guaranteed salary, a $1.5 million buyout on a mutual option for 2027 and $5 million in potential bonuses based on the number of starts he makes and award consideration.

The 31-year-old right-hander posted a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts (145 innings) for the Red Sox in 2025 in what was by some measures the best season of a career that began in 2016. Giolito, who missed the ‘24 season after an internal brace procedure to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow, has a 4.30 ERA over 206 games (204 starts) pitching for the Nationals, White Sox, Angels, Guardians and Red Sox.

"He brings a track record of a lot of success in the big leagues, and he’s still only 31 years old," Padres manager Craig Stammen said. "So we’ve got a young starting pitcher that we’ve brought into the fold, hopefully in his prime. We’ll get him built up and get him back out here, and hopefully he can help us win.”

Giolito has been working out at the same Florida facility Nick Pivetta and several other major leaguers have used in recent offseasons. Giolito has been facing hitters, and the Padres believe he can get up to a full complement of pitches and be ready with minimal restrictions by the time he joins them.

"Him not having a spring training, we've just got to be careful with that," Stammen said. "We've got to get him built up properly so that he can be set up for success when he does get here."

The Padres continually checked in on Giolito throughout the spring and into the season. Eventually, the sides aligned based on the team's needs and Giolito’s desire to pitch.

The Padres enter Wednesday’s game against the Rockies with a 16-7 record, tied with the Dodgers for the lead in the National League West and tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the major leagues.

However, the sustainability of their success is in question due to the state of their starting rotation.

Elbow issues have sidelined Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, two of the three pitchers the Padres expected to anchor their rotation. Both are expected to be out at least for the next several weeks, with the possibility that their absence extends into the summer or beyond.

Griffin Canning, who was signed in February, allowed two runs in 1⅔ innings (45 pitches) in his fourth rehab start for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. Canning is working back from Achilles surgery in June. His rehab assignment ends May 3; he could make his Padres debut shortly thereafter.

The Padres turned to Matt Waldron to take Pivetta’s spot in the rotation. Waldron allowed six runs in 3⅔ innings on Friday against the Angels. He is scheduled to start again Thursday against the Rockies at Coors Field.

The Padres have two pitchers among the NL leaders in Randy Vásquez and Michael King.

Vásquez worked seven scoreless innings against the Rockies on Tuesday night, his third quality start in five outings (28⅔ innings) this season. His 1.88 ERA ranks fourth in the NL. King's 2.28 ERA in five starts (27⅔ innings) ranks eighth in the NL.

The Padres have gotten promising results from two reclamation projects in Walker Buehler and Germán Márquez, veterans who used to lead pitching staffs before Tommy John surgery waylaid them the past couple seasons.

Buehler entered his Wednesday start with a 4.58 ERA in four starts (17⅔ innings) after shutting out the Mariners over six innings in his previous start. Márquez has made two starts in which he has not allowed a run over five innings and has a 3.86 ERA over 18⅔ innings in his four starts.

If they had a healthy rotation, the Padres would consider Giolito their fourth or fifth starter. But they will hope he can step up to a more prominent role.

"The biggest thing that he brings to the table is (he) has been there, done that," Stammen said. "He’s pitched a lot of innings in the big leagues. He’s won a lot of games in the big leagues. He’s pitched on really good teams. Those are the great things that he brings. And it’s not that we don’t love the guys that we have here. We love those guys, too, but we all know how baseball works. We know that you’ve got to plan for what you don’t think might happen. … You just never know when something unexpected happens. And so now I feel like we’re better set up with Lucas in the fold."

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 10:37 AM.