San Diego Padres should be open for business on two aces after signing Nick Pivetta

San Diego Padres pitchers reported to camp on February 12, and their starting rotation was a bit uncertain.

A few hours later, the team signed Nick Pivetta on a four-year, $55 million contract. There are opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 seasons. He receives a $3 million signing bonus while getting paid $1 million this season, followed by $19 million, $14 million, and $18 million in the remaining three seasons, respectively.

The Boston Red Sox also benefit. Because Pivetta turned down his qualifying offer from the Red Sox, the Padres must concede their second-highest pick in the 2025 draft and $500,000 in international pool money.

Nick Pivetta gives San Diego Padres options on Cease and King

It's not an addition fans will go crazy over, but he brings stability to the rotation. Over the last four seasons in Boston, the righty threw at least 142 innings, although his lowest ERA in that time was 4.02. Pivetta's strong suit is he keeps the ball around the strike zone. Last season, he had a 172:38 strikeout:walk ratio with only four wild pitches. Baseball Savant ranked him in the 88th and 80th percentiles in strikeout and walk percentages last season, respectively.

Pivetta brings a five-pitch arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, sweeper, change-up, curveball, and cutter. He developed his sweeper in 2023 when it had a 43.8 whiff percentage. In the following season, it dropped to 35 percent, although still the highest of the five pitch types. The drop likely is just from the pitch being new to hitters facing Pivetta, so there was a surprise factor, but last season, batters knew what to expect, though 35 percent is still extremely high.

The 32-year-old will likely slot into the fourth spot in the Padres' rotation behind Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. Notably, Cease and King have had trade rumors swirling around their names during the offseason, as their contracts expire after the upcoming season.

Although the rumors have died down some, we will see if adding Pivetta sparks those rumors back up. If a deal is made, the rotation will take a big hit. With the trio of Pivetta, Darvish, and Joe Musgrove — who will likely miss this entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery — all returning in 2026, one of Cease and King could be expendable.

Though, with Pivetta only under a $1 million contract in 2025, it alleviates some of the pressure regarding the Competitive Balance Tax Space threshold the Padres are currently under. They have $4 million left available before exceeding the threshold and acquiring penalties.

The Padres have young pitchers in their farm system who gained MLB experience last season, but none showed memorable results. Randy Vasquez, 26, is projected to be the fifth starter to start the season. Last season, he threw 98 innings and logged a 4.87 ERA.

Behind him, likely beginning in AAA, are knuckle-baller Matt Waldron, who threw 146.2 innings with a 4.97 ERA; Stephen Kolek, who completed his rookie season pitching 46.1 innings but posting an abysmal 5.12 ERA; and fellow 2024 rookie, Jhony Brito, who pitched 43.2 innings and posted a 4.12 ERA. Brito came over in a trade with the New York Yankees before last season in the Juan Soto trade.

With the powerhouse lineups of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks to contend with in the NL West, the Padres had to solidify their starting rotation. Although Pivetta is not the most exciting addition for fans, he brings much-needed stability and experience to the back-end of the pitching staff.

The National League overall looks to be possibly the most competitive it has ever been, so if the Padres start off slow, that may be when we start to hear the Cease and/or King trade rumors stir up again. For now, adding Pivetta helps the Padres improve on a team that fell one game short of beating the Dodgers in the NLDS in 2024.

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