With pitching injuries mounting across Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres are eyeing right-hander Lucas Giolito, league sources told The Athletic on Tuesday, monitoring the situation involving a one-time All-Star who remains a free agent in the middle of April.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s early in the season, but Chicago\u2019s pitching depth is already compromised with two members of its Opening Day rotation on the injured list. While Matthew Boyd (strained left biceps) is nearing a return, doctors advised Cade Horton to have season-ending surgery on his right elbow. Two high-leverage relievers, Phil Maton (right knee tendinitis) and Hunter Harvey (right triceps inflammation), are also sidelined, putting more pressure on the entire pitching staff.<\/p>\n
The Padres\u2019 interest in Giolito, meanwhile, may be complicated by the final stages of the franchise\u2019s ongoing sale process, which could limit the baseball operations department\u2019s financial flexibility.<\/p>\n
But the need for San Diego to reinforce its rotation might be growing more urgent. Nick Pivetta, who exited Sunday\u2019s start with what was initially described as right elbow stiffness, likely will need time on the injured list to recover.<\/p>\n
Pivetta finished sixth in voting for the National League\u2019s Cy Young Award last year after accounting for 181 2\/3 innings, going 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts. His contract, signed last year, includes a provision that if he spends at least 130 consecutive days this season on the injured list because of a specified injury or related surgery, the deal would convert into a $14 million club option for 2027. Pivetta, who otherwise would hold a $14 million player option, spent a month on the injured list in 2024 because of an elbow flexor strain.<\/p>\n
During last year\u2019s playoffs, the Padres lost a three-game series at Wrigley Field in the wild-card round. The Cubs then lost to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series. To continue advancing in October, Chicago acknowledged the need to build a bigger and better pitching staff.<\/p>\n
This year, the club plans to pay the luxury tax. Roster Resource<\/a> projects the Cubs to be slightly above the $244 million threshold. But there could be an opportunity cost to making a significant move this far in advance of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and club officials are wary of the track record of pitchers who sign so late in the process.<\/p>\n Morning podcast: Lucas Giolito opens up about why he hasn’t signed yet, what he has been doing, how he got in the best shape of his life, and the meaning behind his ‘World of Warcraft’ handle. pic.twitter.com\/Mw44C0cQEY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Baseball Isn\u2019t Boring (@BBisntBoring) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The Cubs project Giolito, 31, as more of a back-of-the-rotation starter, and the fact that he missed all of spring training and at least part of April might further temper expectations. His addition would potentially help the bullpen by bumping a pitcher from the rotation, but it\u2019s unclear when exactly he would be ready to compete in a major-league game.<\/p>\n