The San Diego Padres have signed Lucas Giolito, a veteran right-hander, to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2027. This decision comes as the Padres deal with injuries in their pitching rotation, including the loss of Opening Day starter Nick Pivetta due to a right elbow flexor strain. Giolito, a 31-year-old Southern California native, previously played for the Boston Red Sox, where he had a successful season with a 10-4 record and a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts. He will first report to Class A Lake Elsinore to build up his endurance before joining the Padres in mid-May. Despite missing the entire 2024 season due to injury, Giolito has been a reliable pitcher throughout his career, earning an All-Star selection in 2019 and throwing a no-hitter in 2020. The Padres currently share the best record in the majors at 16-7 and have the second-lowest team ERA at 3.22. General manager A.J. Preller managed to fit Giolito under the budget during a period of ownership transition as the team is nearing a sale to billionaire Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones.