Report: Cubs, Padres interested in free agent Giolito
The injury-ravaged Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have eyes on a veteran arm to potentially reinforce their pitching staffs.
Both teams are showing interest in veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito, who remains a free agent, sources told Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin, and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.
A deal with either club doesn't appear imminent, and it's unclear how much time Giolito would need to ramp up before pitching in the majors.
The 31-year-old hit the open market in November after declining his half of a $19-million mutual option with the Boston Red Sox, but he still hasn't found a new home. For now, Giolito is throwing regular bullpen sessions at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida to stay ready for his next employer.
"For me, what I can control is my preparation for when I get the opportunity to play again," Giolito said during a recent appearance on Rob Bradford's 'Baseball Isn't Boring' podcast. "And that's why I'm here ... five, six, seven days a week, depending on where I'm at in my routine, and throwing live, and staying ready, kind of maintaining a pitch count around 75 each time I throw live. Just so that when I get the opportunity, it's like, alright, cool, you want me to throw a game in Triple-A to get ready? Or do you wanna put me right in (a major-league game) for five innings?
"I'll do whatever. I'm happy to do whatever once I get an opportunity to help a team."
If Giolito is ready, he could potentially be plugged into either the Cubs' or Padres' rotations quickly. Chicago is now down four starting pitchers after Cade Horton underwent season-ending elbow surgery, and the team is also missing five relievers, including free-agent signings Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton.
San Diego, meanwhile, is suddenly in need of rotation depth after Nick Pivetta was placed on the IL Tuesday with right elbow inflammation. Pivetta is the ninth Padres pitcher sidelined with an injury right now.
However, the Padres' push to sign Giolito may be hindered by the team's ongoing sale process, according to Mooney, Rosenthal, Lin, and Sharma.
Giolito enjoyed a solid comeback season with the Red Sox last year after missing 2024 following elbow surgery. He posted a 3.41 ERA, 4.17 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP with 121 strikeouts over 26 starts for Boston but didn't pitch in the team's wild-card series loss to the New York Yankees.
The California native has thrown at least 170 innings five times in his nine-year MLB career and was an All-Star with the Chicago White Sox in 2019.