Were the Chicago Cubs Too Cheap with Lucas Giolito?
Right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito signed with the San Diego Padres earlier this week, and we learned that the Chicago Cubs did indeed make a bid for the free agent. However, according to Jon Heyman, the Cubs weren’t necessarily eager to pay Giolito, and although he was the top starter available, he didn’t cost the Padres much.
Giolito and the Padres agreed to a one-year deal that also includes a mutual option for the 2027 season. The 31-year-old pitcher is guaranteed to earn $3 million from the Padres. That figure is broken down into a base salary of $1.5 million in 2026 and a $1.5 million buyout on the 2027 option that is worth $8 million.
The Cubs will be without Cade Horton for the rest of the 2026 season, and the team has faced several injuries to the bullpen already in April, which brought them into the Giolito sweepstakes. Matthew Boyd also spent a couple of weeks on the injured list, but he returned to the rotation this past week. Meanwhile, Colin Rea has been incredible since he joined the rotation, replacing Horton in early April.
Who knows? Maybe the Cubs feel much better about their pitching depth in the rotation with the resurgence of Shōta Imanaga because they reportedly offered Giolito less than the $3 million that he got from the Padres.
Hopefully, we don’t look back in a few months and view this as a giant mistake. We have already seen how injuries can change the dynamic in the bullpen. Every team has to prepare for more injuries, and if you’re the Cubs, you certainly don’t want to be in a desperate spot in the summer for another starting pitcher, especially because they could have gotten a decent option in Giolito for a few million.
Looking ahead, the Cubs are expecting Justin Steele to return in late May or early June. Plus, Javier Assad is also around as additional depth. Fingers crossed that losing out on Giolito won’t become an issue later in the year.
(Previous Update)
It turns out that the San Diego Padres do, in fact, have some money left to spend and aren’t broke because they have signed free agent pitcher Lucas Giolito. The right-hander went unsigned after a pretty solid 2025 season and then he became a target for the Chicago Cubs in April, when Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd went down with an injury. Horton is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but Boyd is returning from the injured list against the Philadelphia Phillies this week.
Colin Rea has been nails, filling in as a starter, while Javier Assad has also been decent in his spot starts. So, maybe the Cubs weren’t all too desperate to sign Giolito because the Padres didn’t necessarily break the bank to sign him. According to Robert Murray, the Padres and Giolito agreed to a one-year deal that also includes a mutual option for the 2027 season.
Jon Heyman reported that Giolito’s base salary for this year will be at $3 million.
In 2025, Giolito returned from elbow surgery and made 26 starts for the Boston Red Sox. The right-hander eventually settled in after a rough stretch early in the season. He posted a 3.41 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 145 innings. Giolito had a great end to his year, as he had a 2.70 ERA in his final 11 starts. However, the strikeout rate was below average, and he was walking 11% of the batters he faced, so the league has obviously been skeptical of how good he can actually be based on some good fortune in 2025.
So, the Cubs didn’t think it was worth it, and you have to wonder if it’s because they have newfound confidence in the starting rotation. Mainly, Rea stepping up, and possibly more importantly, Shōta Imanaga’s return to dominance. The left-handed starting pitcher pitched his third consecutive quality start Tuesday night, when he gave up just one run on three hits over seven innings.
After allowing four earned runs in his first start of 2026, Imanaga has recorded a 1.13 ERA in his last four games, surrendering three runs in 24 innings.
When players sign, fans are quick to assume that it was the team’s decision, and well, it’s ultimately the player’s choice. In this case, maybe Giolito was given much more of a clear pathway to join the rotation in San Diego or potentially he simply liked the destination more than the Cubs.
It does sting a little because whether Gioito’s 2025 results were a fluke or not, he has shown the ability to pitch quality innings, and right now, all he would have cost the Cubs was money. If the team were to face any more pitching injuries down the line, then they would be forced to trade prospects at the deadline for pitching depth.
However, it’s not a back-breaker either. Pitchers become available throughout the season, and the front office has been able to find hidden gems in the past.
According to Bob Nightengale, Giolito will begin his ramp-up in A-Ball, and if all goes well, the Padres hope he can make his season debut by the middle of May.