Former Padres Top Prospect Involved in Blockbuster Trade Signs With NL West Rival

The San Francisco Giants reportedly agreed to terms with former San Diego Padres top pitching prospect Joey Lucchesi Monday, according to a social media post from New York Post baseball insider Jon Heyman.

Lucchesi, a Northern California native, returns home on a minor league deal with an invitation to big league spring training.

The 31-year-old holds a 23-26 record with a 4.10 ERA over 81 career Major League Baseball games, including 77 starts. In 2024, he made just two starts for the New York Mets, spending the majority of the year with their Triple-A affiliate. At Triple-A Syracuse, he posted a 5-7 record and a 4.70 ERA. Lucchesi became a free agent after the season.

Lucchesi, a Newark, California native, was selected by San Diego in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He started his professional career with the Tri-City Dust Devils, where he posted a 0-2 record and a 1.35 ERA in 14 games.

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In 2018, Lucchesi made his MLB debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing three earned runs in 4.2 innings. His first win came on April 10 at Coors Field, where he threw six innings, surrendered two runs, and struck out eight in a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Alongside Eric Lauer, Chris Paddack, Dinelson Lamet, and Cal Quantrill, Lucchesi was viewed as one of the Padres' promising young pitchers that season. His rookie season ended with an 8-9 record and a 4.08 ERA over 26 starts, logging 130 innings and 145 strikeouts.

The next season saw minor improvements. Lucchesi posted a 10-10 record with a 4.18 ERA in 30 starts, pitching 163.2 innings and striking out 158 batters. However, in 2020, he only pitched 5.2 innings across three games, including two starts, giving up five runs.

Joey Lucchesi to the Giants, minors deal. $1.5M if in majors. MLB spring invite.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 20, 2025

After the 2020 season, Lucchesi was sent to New York as part of a three-team trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates that brought Joe Musgrove home to San Diego.

Tommy John surgery forced Lucchesi to miss the second half of 2021 and all of the 2022 season but he returned to the mound in 2023. After beginning the season in the minors, Lucchesi was called up for a start on April 21 against the Giants, where he delivered seven scoreless innings.

Lucchesi brings depth to the Giants rotation that will feature Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Justin Verlander. He is out of options and will have to carve out a spot for himself early.

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