The San Diego Padres are entering one of their most crucial winters in a long time.
The Padres have plenty of work to do this offseason, with multiple areas they must address to bolster their roster for the 2027 season.
One of the many players San Diego will have to make a decision on is starting pitcher Nick Pivetta.
Pivetta has spent the last two seasons with the team and has a club option this winter. It's an option they received as a result of Pivetta having missed nearly five months with a flexor strain in his right elbow.
Now the Padres have a major decision to make. Do they pick up his $14 million player option, or let him hit free agency? President of baseball operations AJ Preller spoke on the chances the club brings back Pivetta — but hinted at it coming in a different type of contract.
“It’s that time of year, where we’re going to consider all different possibilities,” Preller said on a conference call with reporters. “Obviously, the straightforward option is picking up the club option. … The next couple weeks, we’ll get together with our coaches, our staff, our evaluators and start trying to figure out what this puzzle looks like.
"We’re hoping that Nick wants to be part of that puzzle. We’re hoping that we can figure something out that makes him a part of this thing going forward.”
The 33-year-old was held to eight regular-season games because of his injury. In those contests, Pivetta had a 2.86 ERA, 42 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP in 34.2 innings.
In the postseason, he allowed three runs over 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts.
The Padres Have Limited Time to Decide on Nick Pivetta
While Pivetta was solid in his outings, there are some risks in bringing him back. The injury alone is a big concern.
Questions about his elbow persist, and San Diego will have only five days after the World Series to decide on Pivetta.
The Padres initially signed Pivetta prior to the 2025 season to a four-year, $55 million contract.
His first season in San Diego was one to behold, sporting a 2.87 ERA, 190 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP. Pivetta also allowed a stellar .195 batting average to opposing hitters. In 31 games and 181.2 innings, he had a 13-5 record.
In 2026, the injury bug hit Pivetta, and the Padres were significantly impacted.
The Padres will seemingly prioritize Pivetta this offseason, but it sounds like it may not come by simply picking up his option.
Instead, San Diego could look to work out another contract that gives them more protection in the event of another elbow injury. Whether or not Pivetta is open to that, however, remains to be seen.
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