Padres Need to Replace Nick Pivetta With All-Star Free Agent

The San Diego Padres need to make a move as fast as possible before another team can.

Aug 21, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are going to be without the services of one of their top hurlers for “weeks, maybe months."

Padres starter Nick Pivetta, who had a 2.87 ERA in 31 starts in 2025 and finished sixth in the National League Cy Young Award voting, is dealing with a flexor strain and reportedly won't be back for "weeks, maybe months," per Annie Heilbrunn of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

"[Craig Stammen] says it’s a flexor strain for Pivetta," Heilbrunn wrote. "They believe it will be 'weeks, maybe months' in terms of rehab and rest. ... And FWIW: Pivetta missed one month with a flexor strain in 2024 and came back to throw 134 innings."

The Padres Need To Sign Lucas Giolito

Sep 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Just a brutal injury for a team that has been starting to get its footing. The Padres entered the day on Wednesday winners of nine of their last 10 games. Now, they will be without the services of a front-of-the-rotation arm for a bit. Because of this, the Padres need to act quickly and go and sign former All-Star Lucas Giolito.

The Athletic's Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal, Dennis Lin and Sahadev Sharma reported on Tuesday that the Padres and Chicago Cubs are two teams that have interest in the veteran hurler after he logged a 3.41 ERA in 2025 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Overall, he has a 4.30 ERA in nine big league seasons. In his nine seasons, he has five campaigns under his belt with a 3.53 ERA or lower. Frankly, he shouldn't be available in free agency, but for some reason he is.

With the Padres losing Pivetta, there isn't a guy out there in free agency who could replace him as seamlessly as Giolito could. Plus, as mentioned above, there are reports out there indicating that there is real interest from the Padres in the veteran hurler.

If the Padres want him, they need to act as quickly as possible. Injuries pop up around the league seemingly every day. The Padres certainly have felt that. For some reason, Giolito is still sitting out there despite all of the injuries around the league. But what if a team loses a hurler on Thursday and wants to move quicker than the Padres? That's unpredictable, but the Padres need to get moving.

Giolito is a veteran who helped a team make the playoffs in 2025. The Padres have playoff hopes themselves. They need to sign Giolito right now to replace Pivetta.