AL Central Team Named 'Surprise Landing Spot' For Red Sox's 8-Year Veteran
![Sep 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Sep 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (37) pitches against the Minnesota Twins during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4912,h_2763,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_red_sox/01jj9rmzcsw61gdd5ngb.jpg)
The Boston Red Sox are still waiting to see where an old friend will find his new home.
Free agent Nick Pivetta has had a topsy-turvy eight-year Major League Baseball career to this point, having spent the last four-and-a-half of those years in Boston. He never had an ERA under four with the Red Sox, but he's always been a popular breakout candidate because of his high strikeout totals.
It's likely Pivetta would have been signed by now if it weren't for the qualifying offer the Red Sox tendered him, which he rejected, making him less desirable for opposing teams to sign. Any team that signs Pivetta before Jun. 2 would have to forfeit a draft pick, which would also add a late second-round pick to the Red Sox's 2025 draft chest.
With Pivetta's market clearly stagnating as Spring Training slowly approaches, is there a chance that a team who has signed exactly zero players this winter could swoop in and land the righty for cheap?
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named the Minnesota Twins as the top "surprise team" who could be a factor in Pivetta's market.
"(The Twins) already have (Pablo) López signed through 2027, while both (Bailey) Ober and (Joe) Ryan are arbitration-eligible through 2027," Miller wrote. "The same goes for Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax as the primary bullpen options."
"Might as well bring in Pivetta on a three-year deal and just go all-in (as all-in as Minnesota can realistically go, at any rate) on winning one soon—and worrying about 2028 another day."
The Twins, who finished a disappointing fourth in the American League Central last season, are under a tight payroll crunch and currently in the process of being sold by the Pohlad family. But as Miller writes, they have the strong foundations of a rotation, and could view Pivetta s the final missing ingredient.
If Pivetta is in the mix, the Twins could threaten the Red Sox for a potential Wild Card spot. But at this stage, Boston is more than happy with the rotation they've assembled, and just have to hope someone signs Pivetta so they can collect their draft pick.
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