San Diego Padres, free agent pitcher Nick Pivetta agree to $55M deal…

Feb. 13 (UPI) — The San Diego Padres, who were relatively quiet for most of the off-season, agreed to a four-year, $55 million deal with free agent pitcher Nick Pivetta.

Sources told ESPN, MLB.com and The Athletic about the agreement Wednesday night. Pivetta will receive a $3 million signing bonus and $1 million salary in 2025. He is set to make $19 million, $14 million and $18 million, respectively, the next three seasons. The pact includes opt-outs after the 2026 and 2027 campaigns.

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Pivetta’s deal with the Padres is pending a physical.

The 31-year-old went 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA over 27 appearances last season for the Boston Red Sox. He went 10-9 with a career-best 4.04 ERA over 38 appearances for the Red Sox in 2023.

The right-handed pitcher went 56-71 with a 4.76 ERA over his first 223 career appearances. He made his MLB debut in 2017 for the Philadelphia Phillies. Pivetta was a fourth-round pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2013 MLB Draft.

He is expected to slide into a Padres rotation that also features Dylan Cease, Michael King and Yu Darvish. Padres pitchers and catchers reported to spring training Wednesday in Peoria, Ariz. The first full-squad workout is scheduled for Monday.

A welcome surprise..

The report on Wednesday, February 12, of the Padres signing right-handed starter Nick Pivetta was a welcome relief to Padres fans, especially considering that the fanbase was widely under the impression that there was no money to spend. Pivetta appears to be the logical fourth starter behind Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish.

Thursday morning greeted us with the news that left-handed starter Kyle Hart has been signed to a 1-year deal with a club option for 2026. A quick review of Hart’s past MLB history is not encouraging. He had a brief look in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and posted a 15.55 ERA in 11 innings pitched. Other than that, he is notable for a lot of strikeouts at the minor league level but underwhelming numbers otherwise.

After electing free agency after the 2023 season from the Mariners organization, Hart signed a 1-year deal with the NC Dinos of the KBO. mlbtraderumors.com writer Steve Adams reports that Hart adjusted his pitch repertoire in Korea and now is more effective. Adding a sweeper, using his changeup more, and throwing his four-seamer (90-94 mph) at the top of the zone has allowed him to break out. His numbers in 2024 show a 28.8% K rate and a 6% walk rate in 157 innings as a starter. His 2.69 ERA in 26 starts propelled him to the KBO version of the Cy Young Award (Choi Dong-won).

At 6’–5” and 170 lbs, Hart could join a group that ranges from 6’– 2” to 6’–5” if he is able to crack the rotation. He is the only left-hander among the pitchers mentioned as competing for the fifth rotation spot. Others are Matt Waldron, Jhonny Brito, Randy Vasquez, and Stephen Kolek.

Hart is 32 years old and had Tommy John surgery as a junior in college (Indiana). His contract includes a 2024 $1 million base salary with a $500,000 buyout and a $5 million club option for 2026. Escalators can increase his 2026 salary to $7.5 million.

Darragh McDonald, also of MLB trade rumors, reports that these two moves by the Padres make it much less likely that the Padres will move either Cease or King in a trade. Nothing is said about AJ Preller being done adding to the pitching depth, but things look a lot better today than they did just 24 hours ago.