The San Diego Padres signed Lucas Giolito to a one-year contract with a mutual option for the 2027 season, ending one of the biggest wait-and-see sagas on the free-agent market. The team announced the deal and welcomed the 31-year-old right-hander with a simple message: “Welcome to San Diego, Lucas!”
Giolito arrived as the best remaining player still available, and he had not found a home during this season before the signing. In 2025, he went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 145 innings for the Boston Red Sox, striking out 121 and walking 56. Over the last couple of months, he had been heavily linked to San Diego, even as the Chicago Cubs also showed interest.
The move matters because the Padres needed another arm. Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove were unavailable for the foreseeable future, and Yu Darvish was out for the entire season, leaving the rotation short on certainty and forcing the club to add help if it wanted stability now.
That is what makes this signing more than a late free-agent pickup. Giolito gives San Diego an experienced starter coming off a productive season, and the structure of the deal gives the Padres a second look in 2027 if both sides want it. For a rotation under strain, that is the kind of move that can change how the rest of the year is managed.