Should the Red Sox consider bringing back Nick Pivetta before camp opens in February?
The Red Sox are once again connected to another free agent. There’s a possibility Boston could bring back right-handed pitcher Nick Pivetta. If that were to happen, he would likely sign for much less than the $21.05 million qualifying offer he rejected, and he wouldn’t necessarily come back as a starter.
"Nick Pivetta is still out there, and the qualifying offer is clearly hurting his market," MassLive’s Chris Cotillo wrote about the chances the righty is back with the Red Sox in 2025. "The Red Sox have seen him dominate in the late innings before and could be interested in a reunion if his market continues to struggle.
"His versatility is obviously a plus, and Boston could provide a soft landing on a one-year deal if he wants to re-enter free agency without the QO attached next year."
Pivetta, who turns 32 next month, said after his final Red Sox start this season he would be open to coming back to Boston. At that time, the Sox hadn’t added Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and Patrick Sandoval in free agency. The Canadian-born righty finished the 2024 campaign with a 4.14 ERA in 145 1/3 innings.
If Boston were to potentially re-sign Pivetta and he’s open to becoming a reliever, the Red Sox will hope he can find the success he had pitching out of the bullpen from the 2023 season, where he recorded a 2.23 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings, that spanned from May 21 to July 31.
According to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, she envisions a scenario where Pivetta could come back to Boston and pitch as a reliever.
“I can’t see Pivetta signing on a short-term deal as a reliever coming off his best year as a starter,” McCaffrey wrote. “Both he and the Red Sox expressed interest in a reunion, and maybe he gets desperate, but I just can’t see him making that move. I think it’s more likely he waits things out; some team will inevitably have an injury in spring training or early in the season, and then he’ll sign there. While he was good for part of the season in the bullpen in 2023, I’m not sure he’d be the closer with Aroldis Chapman and Liam Hendriks the likelier options in the mix.”
It’s clear the qualifying offer has crippled Pivetta’s market, but there is still no rush for him to sign with a club. If Pivetta can’t land the multi-year deal he’s looking for before players go to camp in February, he could wait it out for when the inevitable happens and a team loses an arm during camp.
Are you kidding? Could you imagine a bullpen with a healthy Hendricks & Whitlock, Slaten & Pivetta, Champan, and then 3 others? Who, Wick, Kelly, & Wilson? With Fulmer, Campbell, Guerrero, Penrod, Weissert, Murphy, Adam, Davis, Newcomb, Moran, & others waiting in the wings should there be injury or poor performance? I'd be happy if the guy took a one year deal at $12M - $14M. I wouldn't sign him to anything longer than a two year deal though, and no more than $14M per with no guarantee of being a starter. Sorry kid. You should've taken the QO