The San Diego Padres agreed to a four-year, $55-million contract with free-agent right-hander Nick Pivetta, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The agreement, pending a physical, includes opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Pivetta's deal is heavily back-loaded, as he'll earn a base salary of $1 million in 2025, along with a $3-million signing bonus, according to Passan. After that, he'll reportedly earn $19 million in 2026, $14 million in '27, and $18 million in '28.
Pivetta, who turns 32 on Friday, spent the last four-plus campaigns with the Boston Red Sox. He put up a 4.14 ERA, 4.07 FIP, and 1.13 WHIP with 172 strikeouts and 36 walks across 27 appearances (26 starts) for Boston last season. The British Columbia native's 2.2 BB/9 rate in 2024 was a career-best mark, down a full batter from 2023.
In San Diego, Pivetta will likely slot in as the No. 4 starter. The Friars had desperately needed another back-end starter, with Joe Musgrove set to miss this season following elbow surgery.
| Pitcher | Throws | 2024 ERA | 2024 WHIP | 2024 fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Cease | RH | 3.47 | 1.07 | 4.8 |
| Michael King | RH | 2.95 | 1.19 | 3.9 |
| Yu Darvish | RH | 3.31 | 1.07 | 1.1 |
| Nick Pivetta | RH | 4.14 | 1.13 | 2.0 |
| Randy Vásquez | RH | 4.87 | 1.51 | 0.8 |
The Padres, coming off a 93-win 2024 season, are having a quiet winter to this point. Most of the talk surrounding the team in the offseason has been related to an ongoing ownership dispute and the budget constraints that may result from the front-office drama. Several of the Padres' established stars, including Cease and King, have been involved in trade rumors this winter, while All-Star Jurickson Profar left to sign a three-year deal with Atlanta.
Once official, Pivetta's deal will be the first multi-year contract handed out by San Diego this offseason. General manager AJ Preller's only additions in free agency were a trio of low-cost one-year deals to catcher Elias Díaz, outfielder Jason Heyward, and outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe.
The Red Sox will receive draft-pick compensation for Pivetta, who rejected their $21.05-million qualifying offer in November. Their extra draft pick will fall between competitive balance round B and Round 3 of the 2025 draft, likely at 77th overall.
