Padres Showing Interest in All-Star Starting Pitcher After Yu Darvish News: Report

Even when veteran right-hander Yu Darvish doesn't pitch for the San Diego Padres, he finds a way to help the team.

Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing elbow surgery, but he has agreed to help the team in terms of financial assistance.

Over the offseason, there were rumors that Darvish was retiring, but he quickly pushed back on this. Instead, the veteran was placed on the restricted list, and this move could open up some financial flexibility for the Padres to potentially add another starter to the mix.

Teams are not required to pay players on the restricted list, opening the door for a possible move. And with all the issues that the Padres have in the starting rotation, this could make a massive difference for the season.

One name that has been thrown out over the last few weeks is veteran right-hander Lucas Giolito, who remains on the free agent market. Giolito has been patient in his approach to free agency, and it could potentially pay off with him coming to San Diego.

"Not being tied to [Darvish's] salary this season could free the Padres up to more aggressively pursue free agent starter Lucas Giolito, who would help to address their needy rotation," ESPN's Alden Gonzalez wrote.

The Athletic's Dennis Lin confirmed that the team has some level of interest in adding Giolito: "The Padres, who a league source said have expressed recent interest in Giolito, have for months anticipated some kind of financial resolution."

However, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller did push back on the idea a little bit, saying the team had already planned on not having to pay Darvish his 2026 salary.

"This is something we've been planning for and working toward throughout the whole offseason," Preller said of Darvish's decision to go on the restricted list. "It's not a surprise. I think, ultimately, it's just figuring out exactly what he wanted to do and what list was the right list to put him on. … That was really what the last six to eight weeks was about. But in terms of the planning part of it, it doesn’t really change anything on our end.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee has reported that the team's decision to bring back Michael King on a three-year, $75 million deal was largely due to the knowledge of Darvish's salary being off the books.

"As for free agent starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, who remains unsigned, the price would need to come down significantly," Acee wrote. "Even then, the most optimistic thing anyone with the Padres would say about the chance they could sign him is that it is 'not zero.'"

With all that being said, San Diego could bring Giolito, or someone else, into the picture. But for now, it's a wait-and-see approach for the Padres.

What Would Lucas Giolito Bring to the Padres?

Giolito made his return to the mound in 2025 after missing all of 2024 while recovering from elbow surgery. The right-hander spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox, and after some shaky first starts, he looked excellent for the team.

With Boston, Giolito pitched in 26 games, posting an ERA of 3.41. The Red Sox were happy with his results on the mound, and he was a key piece to the team making the postseason.

His 145 innings pitched were the most for the veteran since the 2023 season while with the Chicago White Sox. Injuries have taken over his career of late, but when healthy, he has excellent stuff on the mound.

The veteran has made an All-Star team in his MLB career, and a few years ago, he was one of the more sought-after pitchers in the league. Giolito could give more depth and length to the Padres rotation, and he could serve them well as a replacement for Darvish.

Assuming that Giolito could remain healthy, he would be a massive addition for the Padres, and the rotation would look much stronger moving forward. Having Giolito, Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Joe Musgrove — once he returns from injury — and others could see San Diego be more competitive this year.