Five Padres who WON'T return in 2027

So Marty, I think it's easier actually just to rattle off names of people that we know are going to be back in 2027, whenever 2027 does begin.

I found this to be a little bit more of a difficult exercise.

Obviously, there's going to be at least five changes.

So as I said, the producers are like, come up with five people who you don't think are going to be back, come up with five people who you think should be back.

And then you start thinking about the economics and you think about what we know what we don't know, we think about the relative the amount of turnover in Major League Baseball.

And I will tell you, this was a harder exercise than I thought it was going to be.

This isn't one for me where I'm just going to mail it in and rattle off a couple of names.

Okay, Darren, I did five, and I know that you and I can probably agree on at least three to four.

I think there's some slam-dunk names, but I also did an honorable mention, and I do think that the honorable mention person can be affected by the guy I think could be the most interesting pending free agent for the Padres.

But we won't get there yet on who could come back, because this clickbait show is about who will not be back.

So you want to go ahead and do your first name?

Yeah.

Well, my first name, I can't wait to say it.

My first name that I think was not going to be back for the San Diego Padres in 2027, even though I think there is some sort of mutual option that it didn't take one second to look up the details of.

Lucas Giolito.

See you later.

$8 million mutual option for Lucas Giolito.

Buyout of $1.5 million.

Darren, I will say the highlight of the Lucas Giolito era was when I went to Lake Elsinore to go ahead and watch him pitch.

I think when the Padres had the injuries, when Nick Pavetta went down and Joe Musgrove was unavailable, Lucas Giolito was the best remaining possible free agent out there.

But there's a reason why it took a while for him to sign.

I think it's a slam dunk.

He pitched a couple of games.

Never saw him again.

I mean, his locker was gone.