Subscribe
Follow Us
The San Diego Padres have bolstered their starting rotation by signing veteran right-hander Nick Pivetta to a four-year, $55 million contract. The deal, which is pending a physical, is heavily backloaded and includes opt-out clauses after the second and third seasons.
“BREAKING: Right-hander Nick Pivetta and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on a four-year, $55 million contract that includes a pair of opt-outs, pending physical, sources tell ESPN.” via Jeff Passan on X, formerly Twitter.
Pivetta will receive a $3 million signing bonus and a modest $1 million salary for 2025, allowing the Padres to maintain payroll flexibility. His contract then escalates to $19 million in 2026, $14 million in 2027, and $18 million in 2028. The structure accommodates a Padres team looking to manage costs after already increasing their payroll by roughly $30 million from last year’s Opening Day figure.
The Padres strengthen their rotation, adding Nick Pivetta and Michael King this offseason
The 31-year-old pitcher joins a San Diego rotation that already features Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, and Michael King, with the fifth spot expected to be filled through internal competition. Pivetta provides much-needed depth after the team lost Joe Musgrove for the season due to Tommy John surgery.
Pivetta is durable and has strikeout ability. He has averaged 156 innings per season over the past four years with the Boston Red Sox, posting a 4.33 ERA and a 26.9% strikeout rate during that span. In 2024, he recorded a 4.14 ERA across 145⅔ innings while cutting his walk rate to a career-low 6.1%.
Pivetta was one of the last major free-agent pitchers to sign after declining the $21.05 million qualifying offer from Boston earlier in the offseason. The decision raised eyebrows, as he had no immediate suitors willing to meet his multi-year contract demands. However, by waiting out the market, he ultimately secured a longer-term deal with greater financial security—albeit with a significantly lower salary in 2025.
The Pivetta signing marks the Padres' first major acquisition of the offseason, following a relatively quiet winter under general manager A.J. Preller. Before this deal, the team’s most notable transactions were bringing back catcher Elias Díaz and signing Connor Joe and Jason Heyward to $1 million deals.
Given the loss of Musgrove and the need for rotation depth, the addition of Pivetta was a crucial move for San Diego. If he continues his trend of steady innings and improved control, he could prove to be a valuable mid-rotation arm as the Padres push for contention in 2025.
