While Alex Bregman's prolonged free agency remains a talking point with Spring Training starting this week, former Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta remains without a team.
Pivetta was traded to the Red Sox by the Philadelphia Phillies in August 2020. He spent the next four years of his MLB career in Boston before turning down a $21.05 million qualifying offer from the team in November to become a free agent.
Although he was expected to be snapped up by teams looking to add depth to the starting rotation, Pivetta has failed to find a team in free agency with pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training this week.
MLB insider Robert Murray shared a potential option for the former Phillies pitcher on "The Baseball Insiders" podcast, saying (38:00 onwards):
"Nick Pivetta has maintained good interest throughout the offseason and I would not be surprised if he ended up getting a multi-year deal. The qualifying offer is absolutely something that has impacted him. I know there are a lot of people behind the scenes who thought he would be a candidate to accept it, but he ended up declining it and remained in free agency.
"I know one team looking for starting pitchers, the Cleveland Guardians, and I think they're looking for multiple starting pitchers. They need some insurance with a guy like Shane Bieber, who's not going to be ready for the start of the season, so they gotta have some innings. They're gonna find someone to eat some innings, I don't know if it's gonna be Pivetta, but they are looking for some starters."
Shane Bieber returned to the Cleveland Guardians in the offseason, signing a one-year deal with a $10 million salary for 2025. The contract also includes a $16 million option for 2026, raising the contract value to $26 million for two years.
Bieber had Tommy John surgery in April 2024 and is expected to miss the start of the 2025 season for the Guardians.
Nick Pivetta's free agency failed to pick up in the offseason
Nick Pivetta was expected to sign a three-year deal in free agency, but the fact that teams would have to give draft-pick compensation for his signature has proved to be a potential roadblock.
While both the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds were linked with the ace earlier in the offseason, it's highly unlikely they will offer a three-year deal to Pivetta being this close to Spring Training.
While the Guardians could sign Pivetta as an option for the 2025 season, the San Diego Padres could be a candidate for Pivetta as their ace Dylan Cease's future remains uncertain heading into the final year of his contract.