The Pivetta Sweepstakes: Blue Jays in the Mix! Toronto Joins Crowded Field of Suitors for Nick Pivetta

As the holiday season nears, free-agent righty Nick Pivetta appears to have an extremely healthy market as one of the most popular starting pitchers still available.

The 31-year-old has received interest from several organizations across the industry, including the Toronto Blue Jays, the  New York Post’s  Jon Heyman reported on Tuesday. General manager Ross Atkins continues to search for an impact starter this winter, with the club also being linked to fellow free agent Corbin Burnes.

Pivetta, a native of Victoria, B.C., declined the $21.05-million qualifying offer he received from the Boston Red Sox earlier this off-season. That means if Toronto signed him, the franchise must surrender its 2025 second-round selection and $500,000 from its international signing bonus pool as a non-sharing-revenue recipient and a team that didn’t exceed last season’s luxury tax.

After bouncing back and forth between Boston’s starting rotation and bullpen in ’23, the right-hander made all but one of his 27 appearances as a starter last season, pitching to a 4.14 ERA and 4.07 FIP across 145.2 innings. He posted a career-high 22.9-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference, boasting strikeout (28.9 per cent) and walk rates (6.1 per cent) that ranked in the 88th and 80th percentiles, respectively.

Missing barrels have been an issue for Pivetta over the years, and that remained true in ’24 as a result of his 10th-percentile barrel rate against (10.1 per cent). Avoiding home runs has also proven troublesome, especially after allowing a career-worst 28 round-trippers a season ago.

Overall, Pivetta was a two-win pitcher during his fifth season in Boston, and he’s projected to be worth 2.5 fWAR next season per Steamer.

The 6-foot-5 hurler made a significant change to his arsenal last season, dramatically increasing his sweeper’s usage by 20 per cent, becoming his second-most used pitch behind his mid-90s four-seamer — which he threw nearly half the time. That adjustment was crucial in maintaining his swing-and-miss output, with his low-80s curveball enduring a considerable decline in that regard.

Adding Pivetta to a Blue Jays rotation that already includes Kevin Gausman and José Berríos would certainly raise the ceiling of their 2025 staff. However, it would raise questions about Chris Bassitt’s future, as it might be advantageous to reallocate his $22 million salary elsewhere throughout the roster.