The Padres have made their call on Nick Pivetta, and it sends the right-hander into free agency.
San Diego declined the $14 million team option on Pivetta’s contract, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee. The move leaves the Padres with the chance to bring him back on a new deal, but for now the 33-year-old is on the open market.
Pivetta’s 2025 season was the best of his career, but 2026 turned into a lost year for much of the summer. He missed nearly five months because of flexor tendon complications, then returned to make eight starts.
In those outings, he posted a 2.86 ERA. He also worked two postseason starts, giving up three runs across 7.2 innings for a 3.52 ERA.
The contract wrinkle made the decision especially notable. Pivetta originally signed a four-year, $55 million deal, and the missed time triggered a clause that gave San Diego the ability to end the final two years and $32 million by turning the $14 million player option into a club option. The Padres chose to do exactly that.
If the team had exercised the option, Pivetta would have been in line for an $18 million player option after next season.
That’s why the move effectively clears $32 million off the books, even though it doesn’t necessarily close the door on a reunion.
Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller addressed Pivetta’s situation at his end-of-season press conference earlier this month and made clear the organization still wants him around.
“It’s that time of year, where we’re going to consider all different possibilities,” Preller said. “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.”
So while the option wasn’t picked up, a return to San Diego is still on the table. A new contract could be worked out this winter, but at the moment Pivetta is headed into free agency.
The Padres do need starting pitching, but the club clearly wasn’t eager to lock in $32 million for a pitcher who missed most of 2026 with an elbow injury. A fresh deal could give San Diego more protection if another long absence pops up.
Of course, there’s another path too: Pivetta could find a stronger offer elsewhere and move on, which would leave the Padres with even more questions in the rotation.
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