Free-agent pitcher Lucas Giolito and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on a one-year, $3 million contract that includes an $8 million mutual option for 2027. Here’s a breakdown of the contract, according to a source:
- $1.5 million base salary
- $1.5 buyout on 2027 mutual option
- Includes escalators on the buyout based on starts (up to $3 million)
Why Lucas Giolito is a perfect fit for the Padres’ injury-ravaged rotation
Giolito, 31, joins the Padres at the perfect time. Yu Darvish is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and is currently on the restricted list away from the team as he contemplates his future in MLB. Joe Musgrove, who was returning from Tommy John surgery in October 2024 and was expected to return by Opening Day, is on the Injured List and had his rehab interrupted. Nick Pivetta, meanwhile, is on the Injured List with a flexor strain.
Reinforcements were needed for San Diego, and Giolito provides a strong immediate solution and does not come with any draft pick compensation since he wasn’t attached to the qualifying offer. His contract comes with a stipulation that he needs to be called up within the next 25 days, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, so he should get a few minor-league starts before joining the Padres by at least mid-May.
When he eventually joins the Padres, Giolito should be a big help. He’s coming off a season in which he posted a 3.41 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 26 starts and especially thrived starting in June, posting a 3.03 ERA in his next 20 starts.
It was stunning that Giolito lingered on the market so long, but the Padres always made the most sense for the veteran right-hander. And if his stint with San Diego goes as planned, he’ll decline his end of the mutual option and test free agency once again next winter.
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