Giolito Still Available, Cubs & Padres Interested

0:00On April 17, Lucas Gialito, the 31-year-old right-hander, is still a free agent, weeks into the 2026 season, reports from The Athletic, say, He's the last big name left from MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 free agents list after guys like Max Scherzer and Zach Latel signed back in mid-March. Gialito was a borderline ace from 2019 to 2021, but things slid after that with earned run averages right around 5-in, 2022, and 2023. He missed all of 2024 recovering from all-marclateral ligament surgery on his throwing elbow. Before the injury, he inked a two-year, $38.5 million deal with the Red Sox. The Cubs need arms bad after Kate Horton's season ended with UCL surgery, and Matthew Boyd hit the injured list with a bicep strain. They're still waiting on Justin Steele from last year's elbow work. Their current starters include Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Tylan, Javier Asad,

1:02and Colin Rhea, with Asad and Rhea bumped up from the miners and bullpen. Meanwhile, the Padres are thin, too, with Nick Pivetta leaving a start over elbow tightness, Joe Musgrove sidelined from 2024 Tommy John, and others like Griffin Canning and Matt Walden working back. Their mix of Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Walker Bueller, and German Marquez isn't clicking yet, and the team's sale process could slow any big. Spending. Other squas like the Astros, Orioles, and Reds are dealing with their own rotation hits. So Geolito's phone might start ringing louder as the injury. Bug keeps biting across the league. This has been MLB News Today, powered by AI.