Pivetta declines qualifying offer from Red Sox

BOSTON -- While it was a bit of a surprise when the Red Sox extended a qualifying offer to veteran free agent Nick Pivetta a couple of weeks ago, the strategy appears to have paid off for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

Pivetta declined the offer on Tuesday, meaning the Red Sox will get Draft pick compensation if another team signs him.

If Pivetta had accepted the qualifying offer, he would have returned to Boston on a one-year, $21.05 million deal.

Of the 13 MLB players who were tendered a qualifying offer, only Reds righty Nick Martinez accepted his.

By rule, the Red Sox are still eligible to bring Pivetta back under a reconstructed contract. To do that, some other parts would likely have to be moved.

Boston has righty starters Lucas Giolito, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Garrett Whitlock (who could move to the bullpen) back in the fold for 2025. Breslow is looking to acquire an established lefty to put at or near the top of the rotation.

In 2024, Pivetta started in 26 of the 27 appearances he made, going 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA. Over 145 2/3 innings, Pivetta had 36 walks while striking out 172.

While Pivetta’s counting numbers weren’t spectacular, the analytics were attractive enough that he should have no problem landing a multiyear deal. If that wasn’t the case, he likely would have accepted the qualifying offer.

The Red Sox acquired Pivetta on Aug. 21, 2020, from the Phillies for two relievers, Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, both of whom had an expiring contract at the end of the season.

The trade was a win for Boston, as Pivetta made 131 appearances (107 starts) for the Sox, going 37-41 with a 4.29 ERA.

Some of Pivetta’s most memorable performances came out of the bullpen, including the final game of the 2021 season, when he punched Boston’s ticket to the playoffs by striking out the Nationals' Juan Soto on a nasty curveball.

“That was a grade 80 curveball,” Pivetta quipped following the game.

When the Red Sox, a Wild Card entry, knocked out the 100-win Rays in the Division Series, Pivetta played a memorable role. In the 13-inning marathon win that was Game 3, Pivetta fired four scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out seven and showing a lot of emotion as he came off the mound after each inning.

Boston won that game on a walk-off homer by Christian Vázquez and clinched the series in Game 4 the next day.

In Pivetta’s final start of the 2024 season, pitching at Fenway against the Rays, the righty admitted it was an emotional evening because he knew it might have been the end of his time with the Red Sox.