Cubs' injury response becomes clear after Lucas Giolito ends free agency drama with Padres' deal

With recent injuries across the pitching staff, the Chicago Cubs were among the teams with interest in free-agent starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. The idea was that Giolito could slide into the backend of the rotation, allowing one of Javier Assad or Colin Rea to return to the bullpen. Instead, Giolito is headed west, signing a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres.

Giolito's deal with the Padres includes a mutual option for the 2027 season and is prorated at $3 million. It's essentially a creative way for San Diego to bring Giolito and push the money owed to him down the line. The Cubs almost certainly would have had a similar type of offer to Giolito, but the need in San Diego may be more dire.

The Padres are dealing with an injury to Nick Pivetta, and it remains unclear when he will pitch again this season. While the Cubs will be without Cade Horton for the rest of the 2026 season and a significant chunk of the 2027 season, Matthew Boyd is returning to the rotation on Wednesday night, and Justin Steele will be back around the start of June.

Cubs will continue to rely on internal depth...for now

With Boyd's stay on the IL minimal and Steele appearing on track to join the rotation within the next two months, it's reasonable to speculate that the Cubs weren't going to bend over backward to get Giolito to choose Chicago over San Diego. That reality is accentuated by the fact that Giolito likely will need a minor-league assignment before he is truly ready to join the Padres' rotation.

For the version of Giolito the Cubs would be getting, likely getting results, but underlying metrics that suggest a concern, the smart play would be continuing to lean on Colin Rea and Javier Assad as the immediate depth options. If the Cubs had another injury in the rotation beyond Boyd and Horton, it likely would have been a different conversation.

That doesn't mean the Cubs will ignore the need for pitching at the deadline. It's certainly possible they will be in the market for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher at the deadline. Then is when you can expect Jed Hoyer and Co. to act with urgency.

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