Padres reveal major free agent update regarding $61 million All-Star, former Cy Young candidate after latest Nick Pivetta injury update

Padres reveal major free agent update regarding $61 million All-Star, former Cy Young candidate after latest Nick Pivetta injury update originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Diego Padres just suffered a pretty big loss, with one of their top two pitchers in Nick Pivetta getting put on the IL with an elbow injury. With this in mind, their hold on second place in the NL West may be weakened if they don’t find an emergency replacement.

However, it seems they may have a candidate already in mind. According to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Sahadev Sharma, the Padres are actively eyeing former All-Star Lucas Giolito, who is somehow still a free agent.

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“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…The Padres’ interest in Giolito, meanwhile, may be complicated by the final stages of the franchise’s ongoing sale process, which could limit the baseball operations department’s financial flexibility. But the need for San Diego to reinforce its rotation might be growing more urgent. Nick Pivetta, who exited Sunday’s start with what was initially described as right elbow stiffness, likely will need time on the injured list to recover,” Mooney et al wrote.

This past season, Giolito posted a 10-4 record, a 3.41 ERA, 121 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.290 over 145 innings pitched. He’d serve as a good stopgap replacement, and could shift to the middle or end of the rotation upon Pivetta’s return.

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While his market value calls for a three-year, $61 million deal, the fact Giolito is still on the market could give the Padres some leeway. A rental deal seems most likely, allowing Giolito to either earn a re-sign or test free agency once again.

Hopefully, the Padres get to contacting him soon, as other teams like the Chicago Cubs might be vying for his services sooner than later.

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