Red Sox Predicted to Let $7.5 Million Starter Hit Free Agency

Getty Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta had two astounding starts to open the 2024 season

The Boston Red Sox have opened the season with a surprisingly-strong showing from their pitching staff, which leads all of MLB with a 2.68 ERA and ranks in the top-three for total strikeouts, WHIP and opposing batting average.

No hurler was better than Nick Pivetta in his first two starts as he gave up just one earned run across 11 total innings, racking up 13 strikeouts in the process. Pivetta was placed on the 15-day injured list after he had some trouble recovering from his second start, but he’s expected to return to the mound and look to build on his impressive debut in late April, according to NESN.

Reflecting on Pivetta’s hot start, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald recently projected the team’s plans for the pitcher at the end of his one-year, $7.5 million deal with the team. 

“Both sides have strong incentives to wait it out,” Cerullo wrote, responding to a reader inquiry about whether the Red Sox would extend Pivetta or trade him by the deadline. “Maybe this is a cop out, but I think the answer to this question is neither. I suspect the Red Sox and Pivetta will strive to get the most out of their partnership this year, and once the dust settles in the fall both sides will assess the landscape and figure out their next move from there.”

Nick Pivetta Could Have a Career-Best 2024 Season

Before heading to the injured list, Pivetta had been perhaps the biggest surprise in a Red Sox rotation that has seen astounding starts from virtually every member, including Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.

In eight big-league seasons, the 31-year-old has never been able to maintain an ERA below 4.00 except in the truncated 2020 season. Pivetta saw his best campaign last year, going for a 4.04 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 16 starts, though at one point he was relegated to a bullpen role before returning as a starter and improving significantly.

As a result, it might be hard for the Red Sox to commit to or officially part ways with Pivetta during the season, as it’s unclear whether or not his hot start will last. And from the player’s perspective, his upcoming free agency might be a final chance to earn a large deal on the open market.

“Pivetta is going to be 32 at the start of next season, so this winter will probably be the best chance he ever gets to land a big multi-year contract that sets him and his family up for life,” Cerullo added. “If he pitches well, he could potentially enter the winter as one of the top free agents on the market, so it would probably take a pretty enticing offer from the Red Sox to convince him not to test the waters.”

Nick Pivetta Could Be an Enticing Trade Chip for the Boston Red Sox

However, if Pivetta’s teammates aren’t able to maintain their own strong starts on the mound and the team falls well out of the playoff race as a result, the veteran would become an enticing midseason trade asset.

“If the Red Sox fall out of the playoff hunt, it’s a lot easier to imagine Pivetta being traded,” according to Cerullo. “He could presumably provide a boost to a playoff contender as a rental while allowing the Red Sox to get more value in return than just a compensatory draft pick.”