Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Nick Pivetta

While Nick Pivetta never blossomed into the frontline starter many hoped he could become, he has been a solid and reliable contributor for the Boston Red Sox over the past four seasons.

In 623 innings between 2021-24, Pivetta has pitched to a 4.33 ERA with a 26.9% strikeout rate and 7.7 FanGraphs WAR. He’s not a flashy name, but every team needs guys who can pitch bulk innings with an ERA close to league average. Pivetta can be that guy.

However, there is one thing that could scare off potential suitors for Pivetta, and it has nothing to do with his arm. The right-hander received and rejected a qualifying offer from the Red Sox at the beginning of the offseason. That means whichever team signs him will have to forfeit at least one pick in next year’s draft, and possibly international bonus pool money as well.

It’s easy for a team to justify such a sacrifice when it comes to a game-changing talent like Juan Soto or Max Fried. For Pivetta, however, it could significantly reduce his earning potential.

Nonetheless, a dependable starter like Pivetta will ultimately find a home, even if he has to settle for fewer years or less money than he could have earned without the QO attached.

Here are five potential landing spots for Nick Pivetta.

New York Mets

The Mets have already signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to join their rotation in 2025, but rumor has it they aren’t done adding. Earlier this month, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic linked the Mets to several starting pitchers, including Pivetta.

New York has plenty of question marks in the rotation right now. Kodai Senga missed almost all of 2024 with injury. Paul Blackburn and David Peterson dealt with injuries last year, too, and neither has ever pitched a full, qualified season. Meanwhile, Holmes hasn’t started an MLB game since 2018.

A high-floor signing like Pivetta could be just what the Mets need.

Moreover, if any team isn’t afraid of the qualifying offer penalties, it’s the Mets. That’s especially true this offseason. While they will be penalized for signing Soto, they could also earn three compensation picks for losing QO free agents.

They’ll get one bonus pick because Luis Severino signed with the A’s, and they could get two more if Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea also sign elsewhere.

Boston Red Sox

Despite pulling off a blockbuster trade for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox are still in the market for starting pitching.

While they haven’t publicly expressed interest in a reunion with Pivetta, there is reason to believe they’d be open to the idea. After all, they did extend him a qualifying offer knowing there was a very good chance he might accept.

On that note, the Red Sox are also the only team that wouldn’t have to sacrifice a draft pick to sign Pivetta. In that regard, Pivetta is more valuable to Boston than any other club.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Pivetta seemed to like pitching for the Red Sox. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the righty “thoroughly enjoyed his time in Boston and on an emotional level, would love to return.”

Presumably, Pivetta will follow the money this offseason. Still, it’s not for nothing that there seems to be a good relationship between the free agent and his former club.

San Francisco Giants

While the Giants currently seem to be focusing all their efforts on Corbin Burnes, they’ll need a fallback option if the 2021 NL Cy Young winner signs elsewhere. Indeed, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that the Giants are “likely to add a veteran starting pitcher” even if they don’t land Burnes.

Do you know who’s a veteran starting pitcher? Nick Pivetta.

The Giants are another team with lots of question marks in the rotation after ace Logan Webb. Robbie Ray has been injured for most of the last two years. Jordan Hicks is still a work in progress as he transitions into a full-time starter. Young arms like Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong are promising but unproven. Pivetta would bring some much-needed stability to that group.

What’s more, the Giants seem pretty eager to spend this offseason in hopes of contending in 2025. They probably won’t be too deterred by Pivetta’s qualifying offer.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are another team in hot pursuit of Burnes. If they miss out on yet another star free agent, they might just start throwing money around to see where it sticks.

Pivetta isn’t the flashy upgrade the Blue Jays are desperately seeking, but if they can’t land that flashy upgrade, they still need to make additions. Pivetta would raise the floor for the Blue Jays rotation in 2025.

It’s also worth mentioning that Pivetta is Canadian. Not only could that make him more appealing to the Blue Jays, but it might also make him more attainable. It often seems as if the Blue Jays miss out on top free agents because those guys simply don’t want to move to another country. That probably wouldn’t be an issue for this free agent.

Cincinnati Reds

To be perfectly honest, I don’t really see the fit here. At the same time, I can’t ignore the reports. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Reds have expressed interest in signing Pivetta. That’s enough to earn them a spot on this list.

It’s not that the Reds couldn’t use another reliable starting pitcher. They absolutely could. The only pitcher on their staff who has ever pitched a qualified season is Brady Singer, who did so for the first time in 2024.

Yet, this team has far more to worry about on the other side of the ball. Despite playing in a hitter-friendly home stadium, the Reds ranked 16th in runs scored last season. According to wRC+, their hitters were 13% worse than league average. One would think they’d prefer to focus their financial resources on the offense.