Lucas Giolito experienced a successful return from elbow surgery with the Boston Red Sox in 2025. The San Diego Padres were encouraged by Giolito’s comeback year, reportedly inking the pitcher to a one-year deal with an option for 2027, the team announced.
Giolito, 31, posted a 3.41 ERA over 145 innings with the Red Sox last season.
It’s been a series of ups and downs for Giolito throughout his major-league career. After being a much-hyped prospect with the Washington Nationals, Giolito was traded to the Chicago White Sox as a premier piece in the Adam Eaton trade.
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While he experienced an excellent seven-start debut in Chicago in 2017, Giolito was arguably the worst starting pitcher in the majors the following season, posting a 6.13 ERA over 173 1/3 innings.
Giolito worked hard that offseason to add velocity and revamp his pitches. It paid off. Giolito doubled his strike-out rate, cut his walk rate and posted a 3.41 ERA over 176 2/3 innings. That performance was good enough to earn Giolito his only trip to an All-Star game. He also finished sixth in the Cy Young voting that season.
Giolito was equally as effective during the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020, tossing a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates that August. He turned in another strong year in 2021, posting a 3.53 ERA over 178 2/3 innings. From 2019 to 2021, Giolito accumulated 11.3 fWAR, which tied him for seventh among pitchers.
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Things started to bottom out for Giolito the following season, when he posted a 4.90 ERA over 161 2/3 innings. His peripherals suggested he should have performed better, and he showed improvement early in 2023. In 21 starts with the White Sox that season, Giolito had a 3.79 ERA.
But a trade to the Los Angeles Angels proved to be disastrous. Giolito put up a 6.89 ERA in six games with the team before being placed on waivers. He was picked up by the Cleveland Guardians, where he posted a 7.04 ERA in six starts.
The Red Sox still believed in Giolito that offseason, signing the starter to a one-year deal with a player option. Giolito, however, did not pitch in 2024. He experienced elbow pain before the start of the regular season and underwent season-ending elbow surgery.
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With expectations low, Giolito returned in 2025 and pitched better than expected. Things started out rough, as Giolito returned in late April and posted a 6.42 ERA over his first seven starts with the Red Sox.
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But he got back on track from there, putting up a 2.51 ERA over his final 19 games. The advanced stats didn’t support Giolito’s success, though. He managed to post an elite ERA despite a declining strike-out rate, an increasing walk rate and a 1.35 WHIP in the second half.
That put Giolito in an interesting spot during the offseason. He was firmly part of the second or third tier of starters, which included players like Michael King and Merrill Kelly. All three were players who had experienced success in the majors, but were coming off either a poor season or an injury. Despite that, however, Giolito sat on the market until well after the start of the 2026 MLB season.
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The Padres are willing to bet Giolito still has some ability left in the tank following a strong second half in the 2025 season. While there are warning signs that suggest Giolito isn’t about to morph all the way back to form, he’s a battle-tested pitcher who has bounced back multiple times after being counted out.
This story will be updated.
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