It has been a quiet offseason for the San Diego Padres, stuck in a strange financial limbo, but A.J. Preller finally made a splash on Wednesday night.
San Diego has inked free agent pitcher Nick Pivetta to a four-year, $55 million contract with two opt-outs, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.
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.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 13, 2025
Pivetta's contract includes opt-outs after the second and third season. It's a rather unique framework, as Pivetta will earn a $3 million signing bonus and just $1 million in salary for 2025, before it jumps up to $19 million in 2026, $14 million in 2027, and $18 million in 2028.
Last season was a roller coaster for Pivetta with the Boston Red Sox. He finished with a 4.14 ERA across 27 appearances (26 starts), posting 172 strikeouts and only 36 walks. The 31-year-old has been mostly durable over the course of his career, splitting his time between starting roles and bullpen gigs.
He will undoubtedly start games in San Diego, where the Padres appear to be setting the stage for major changes atop the rotation. Both Dylan Cease and Michael King have popped up in trade rumors this winter. With ownership of the team under dispute, Preller has been tasked with cutting costs. Cease, a free agent after the 2025 campaign, feels like a ticking time bomb the Padres will look to shed eventually.
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Updated San Diego Padres rotation after Nick Pivetta puts Dylan Cease on trade block
Order | Name |
|---|---|
1 | Dylan Cease |
2 | Michael King |
3 | Yu Darvish |
4 | Nick Pivetta |
5 | Randy Vasquez |
The Padres are in an awkward spot. They needed another arm to round out this rotation, but at the same time, Pivetta's arrival does feel like a signal to opposing front offices — now is the time to call about Cease.
The former AL Cy Young runner-up was utterly majestic last season, racking up 224 strikeouts across 189.1 innings of work for the Padres. Cease threw a no-hitter and operated as prolifically as any pitcher in baseball after the All-Star break. San Diego should want the guy around; he's 29 years old and one of MLB's most durable workhorses. That said, if the Padres aren't willing to pony up $200 million-plus, in line with the deals received by Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Blake Snell this offseason, it's only logical to trade him.
King, meanwhile, appears more likely to line up an extension for the Padres. King is a less proven starter than Cease, but he was almost as good last season, his first campaign as a full-time starter. A three-man gauntlet of King, Darvish, and Pivetta still stacks up well in a competitive National League, but the Padres have already lost considerable ground compared to the Dodgers, Mets, and other top contenders. Trading Cease just sets the Padres back even further, no matter what the return package is.
Pivetta has never put together a full season with below a 4.00 ERA, but he finished 2024 with an 88th percentile strikeout rate and an 80th percentile walk rate. There are plenty of encouraging metrics to back up Pivetta's electric four-pitch arsenal, and when he's at his best, there are shades of ace production. If he puts all the pieces together in his age-32 season, San Diego would feel a bit better about dealing away Cease.
For now, before any future moves... this Padres rotation is stacked. Pivetta is better than his reputation would suggest, and Cease is a Cy Young candidate for as long as he's around.