The San Diego Padres could get a significant boost to their starting rotation in the not too distant future. That is because it appears that starting pitcher Lucas Giolito of Burbank, California might be relatively close to joining the big club.
Giolito signed a one-year deal worth $3 million guaranteed on April 22. According to Drew Tweedie of MLB Trade Rumors, Giolito can earn an additional $5 million based on the number of starts in 2026 and bonuses connected to awards voting.
Currently, Giolito is pitching for the San Antonio Missions in double-A. He has been rehabilitating an elbow injury from 2025. Even though Giolito has not pitched great in the minors, the Padres are focused on Giolito developing his arm strength.
The former American League All-Star has played for five Major League Baseball teams in the past. He was with the Washington Nationals in 2016, the Chicago White Sox for seven seasons from 2017 to 2023, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians in 2023 and the Boston Red Sox in 2025.
This past season for the Red Sox, Giolito had a record of 10 wins and four losses with an earned run average of 3.41. In 26 games and 145 innings pitched, Giolito gave up 131 hits, 55 earned runs, 17 home runs and 56 walks, to go along with 121 strikeouts, 14 quality starts, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.29.
Giolito’s All-Star season came with the White Sox in 2019. That season he had a record of 14 wins and nine losses with an earned run average of 3.41. In 29 games and 176 2/3 innings pitched, Giloito gave up 131 hits, 67 earned runs, 24 home runs, and 57 walks. to go along with 228 strikeouts, 17 quality starts and a WHIP of 1.06. Giolito also led the Majors with three complete games and two shutouts. The shutouts came in a 4-0 White Sox win over the Houston Astros on May 23, 2019, and in a 4-0 White Sox win over the Minnesota Twins on August 21, 2019.
Then during the 2020 MLB season, Giolito thew the best game of his career. On August 25, 2020, Giolito delivered a no-hitter. He threw 101 pitches without giving up a hit in a 4-0 White Sox win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
