Nick Pivetta to the Padres

The Padres have strengthened their pitching rotation by signing 31-year-old right-hander Nick Pivetta to a four-year, $55 million deal. The contract is structured to be backloaded: Pivetta will earn $4 million in the first season, followed by $19 million, $14 million, and $18 million in the subsequent three years. Additionally, he has opt-out clauses after the second and third years.

Pivetta comes to the Padres from the Red Sox, where he established himself as a reliable mid-rotation starter. Last season, he posted a 4.14 ERA over 145.2 innings, with a very good 28.9% strikeout rate and an average walk rate of 6.1%. However, one concern with Pivetta is his tendency to allow home runs, due to his low groundball rate. Fortunately, Petco Park in San Diego is expected to be more favorable for his flyball pitching style.

Pivetta’s best pitch is his four-seamer, which typically sits around 94 mph. He utilizes a four-seamer and a curveball against left-handed batters, while he throws a four-seamer and a sweeper against right-handers. Notably, Pivetta performs better against lefties, who batted only .188 against him in 2024, compared to a .271 average for righties. He also has a strong track record against division rivals, particularly the Dodgers, where he has recorded a 2.96 ERA over six appearances.

The Padres’ rotation is looking strong. Pivetta will slot in behind Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. The fifth spot in the rotation will be up for grabs during Spring Training.

Overall, I believe this signing is a good move for the Padres. Pivetta should be well-suited to the pitcher-friendly environment of Petco Park. I predict that he will pitch around 150 innings this season, with an ERA in the range of 3.60 to 3.80.