Padres could land a bargain rotation fix with a former Red Sox rebound arm

As we enter the new year, the Padres are still looking to fill two more holes in their starting rotation. The team did manage to bring back Michael King on a three-year, $75 million deal, but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that both Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish won’t be present in 2026.

We already know that Cease signed a multi-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Darvish is sidelined for the entirety of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. This means A.J. Preller will need to dig deep to replace the two. Whether through free agency or trade, something needs to get done.

Luckily for the Padres, there are still plenty of viable options on the market to inquire about. From big names such as Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez, to smaller names like Chris Bassitt, it isn’t time for panic yet in the front office.

In fact, there is one under-the-radar name in particular (who is coming off a solid campaign) that Preller should pay mind to.

Padres could find their sneakiest rotation upgrade in Lucas Giolito

After undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2024 season, Lucas Giolito made his presence felt in 2025. In the limited action, Giolito compiled a 3.41 ERA over 145 innings, proving what he can be when fully healthy.

Giolito, 31, was also able to earn 10 wins thanks to run support, something he will most definitely have if he were to sign with San Diego.

The Padres have payroll constraints, and because of that, they had to sacrifice fan favorites to stay financially afloat. More difficult decisions may come with guys like Luis Arráez and Jake Cronenworth. However, signing Giolito may provide the team with leeway in bringing at least one of the two back.

This, coupled with solid production in the time he saw, would make Lucas Giolito a very solid signing for the Padres. If it were to happen, the rotation would look like the following…

Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Joe Musgrove, Lucas Giolito, _____

Preller should definitely consider this as an option.