Padres need to act fast before this obvious pitching solution disappears

Let's not attempt to reinvent the wheel here. With Nick Pivetta devastatingly hitting the injured list with elbow issues, there is suddenly a massive hole within the San Diego Padres' starting rotation. The ace of the staff is out, and now, the Friars need to act immediately to fill that void — which clearly cannot be done in-house.

Lucas Giolito feels like the obvious pitcher to sign. Giolito, 31, has been sitting in the free agent market for nearly six months. So, it feels like he would be an easy guy to grab, right? Wrong. Other MLB teams are reportedly interested in Giolito, too. The Padres cannot sit on their hands overthinking whether to bring him in. They need to make a decision now before it's too late.

Padres' pitching void can easily be filled by Lucas Giolito if club acts fast enough

Giolito had a spectacular 2025 season. Following UCL and hamstring injuries within the last two seasons, Giolito handed in 26 starts with the Boston Red Sox a year ago. He had a 3.41 ERA, 13 quality starts, and even saw a slight uptick in velocity on his fastball.

That kind of résumé should be enough for the Padres to act swiftly, put him in the minors for two or three starts, then ship him to San Diego.

Historically, Giolito has impressive numbers against the San Francisco Giants. In four starts, he holds a 3.47 ERA against the Giants with 24 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Giolito also owns a 3.94 ERA against the Colorado Rockies in 16 innings. He has never thrown against the Los Angeles Dodgers and has made only one start vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. But, his track record against NL West teams is pretty good — good enough for the franchise to want to grab him now.

Will he be a needle-mover? Maybe not, but Giolito has proven he can make a quick comeback and produce. The Padres have no reason to not give him a chance. It seems like one team will as pitchers continue hitting the IL only a few weeks into the regular season.

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