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Nick Pivetta Signs with San Diego Padres: Contract Details and Implications

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Nick Pivetta speaks to the media during Padres spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 in Peoria, Ariz..

Image credits: Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune

Nick Pivetta recently signed with the San Diego Padres in free agency after spending his last five seasons with the Boston Red Sox. The agreement netted the Red Sox an extra draft pick, as Boston extended a qualifying offer at the beginning of the MLB offseason that Pivetta rejected. The contract with the Padres is reportedly worth $55 million over four years, with a $3 million signing bonus and salaries of $1 million in 2025, $19 million in 2026, $14 million in 2027, and $18 million in 2028.

The contract has some interesting wrinkles, including a conditional team option for 2027 that can be exercised by the Padres if Pivetta suffers a specified injury or surgery related to the injury and is on the injured list for more than 130 consecutive days in any season or in a one-year period. If the Padres turn down the option, Pivetta would head back to free agency in the 2026-27 offseason, having made $23 million over the first two years of the deal. The Padres can also trigger a 2029 club option for $5 million if Pivetta has the specified injury or surgery related to the specified injury and goes on the injured list for more than 130 consecutive days in any season or in a one-year period, all occurring from July 1, 2026, through the 2028 season.

Pivetta's contract details are as follows:

  • Signing bonus: $3 million
  • 2025 salary: $1 million
  • 2026 salary: $19 million
  • 2027 salary: $14 million (conditional team option)
  • 2028 salary: $18 million
  • 2029 club option: $5 million (conditional)
The Padres have built in some cover for themselves if Pivetta needs to miss significant time due to injury, likely due to Tommy John surgery or a similar procedure. A major elbow surgery usually requires a player to miss 14 months or more, which can be a big sunk cost for a club's payroll. With these contract provisions, the Padres have a few options in the event Pivetta does get hurt.

Pivetta is coming off a 2024 season in which he posted a 6-12 record with a 4.14 ERA and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings across 27 appearances (26 starts). He has never finished a season with an ERA lower than 4.04 (2023) and curiously gave up more home runs on the road last year (20) than at an inviting Fenway Park (8). The Padres ultimately came up short on the biggest stage last year, succumbing in five games to the Dodgers in the NL Division Series. However, with the addition of Pivetta, they are looking to make a strong push for the playoffs this season.

The Padres' pitching coach, Ruben Niebla, is enthusiastic about the ingredients that saw Pivetta's strikeout rate jump from the low 20s percentile to as high as 31.2% in 2023. Niebla has ideas about a pitcher with a much more substantial track record as a starting pitcher than Seth Lugo or King had when he worked with them ahead of their breakout seasons in San Diego. Pivetta has stated that his goal is to contribute to the team's success and help them win, saying "Winning's 100% the most important thing, that's all I really care about."

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