Blue Jays Free Agent Target Nick Pivetta Expected to Sign Before Spring Training

Nick Pivetta has had his market "hindered" by the qualifying offer he rejected from the Boston Red Sox, but the veteran right-handed pitcher is still in line to join a rotation before pitchers and catchers report in February.

May 25, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) pitches during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park. / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

While the top starting pitchers on the free agent market have largely come and gone, Nick Pivetta is still out there.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old right-hander received a $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Boston Red Sox at the start of the offseason, but he rejected it. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday morning that the draft pick compensation that now comes along with signing Pivetta has "hindered" his market, but that teams are still interested in signing the veteran pitcher.

The Toronto Blue Jays are among the clubs that have been tied to Pivetta, who is Canadian.

Per Passan, Pivetta is expected to land in a team's starting rotation before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in mid-February.

Pivetta is coming off a solid five-year stint with the Red Sox, who picked him up in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies midway through the 2020 campaign. He proceeded to go 37-41 with a 4.29 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings and a 9.7 WAR during his time in Boston.

The righty served as a swingman in 2023, coming in as a reliever in 22 of his 38 appearances. Out of the bullpen that season, he went 5-3 with a 3.07 ERA, 0.970 WHIP and 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Outside of that three-month stretch last summer, Pivetta started 91 of his other 93 outings in Boston. He has exceeded 140.0 innings pitched in each of the last four seasons.

The Blue Jays are still known to be looking for a starting pitcher, despite already having Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Bowden Francis and Yariel Rodríguez in place. Moving Rodríguez to the bullpen could be the end goal, and that would be made possible by a Pivetta signing.

Toronto previously whiffed on Luis Severino, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes earlier this winter. They have been connected to Jack Flaherty, though, giving the club an alternative to Pivetta if they don't want to part ways with a draft pick.

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